Hello JeffCo,
The outside property tax payment drop box was tampered with late last night – attempted theft of payment checks, etc. The checks in the drop box were not accessed and the drop box was NOT breached.
The perpetrators tried to drill out the lock twice in one night (see attached photo). I have decided that the risk to taxpayers associated with any potential theft of tax payments and fraud against taxpayers is too significant to ignore.
My department has closed and locked the external drop box to prevent any further public access. Plans are underway to have the drop box permanently removed by our facilities team.
We will still have a drop box located in the Atrium in the front lobby.
This decision was made with the utmost consideration for the security and safety of taxpayers and their money and privacy. If something were to happen, we would have no information on who was impacted, or the severity of the theft.
Facilities and I may consider a different outside location in the future which will have better security and visibility.
Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions.
Thanks.
