MARION - Williamson County Treasurer Bruce Troutman said Thursday he's not excusing the calculation mistake made in the clerk's office, but pointed out that it's much easier to make such a mistake today than in years past.

"For one thing, we're a growing county and the tax process has become very complex," Troutman said. "There are enterprise zones in Marion that cover miles and a number of Tax Increment Financing districts that require hundreds of calculations. I've been here for 20-plus years and it's a lot more difficult to figure now than it used to be."

Troutman said there may not be a county south of Springfield with a more complex taxing system than Williamson County.

Troutman said he first learned about the calculation error around July 1.

"At first, we were under the impression it was a property tax assessment error. When we did realize the error was 100 percent in the clerk's office, we wanted to make certain we did everything right for our taxpayers, and that took time. There were tax bills to order, as well as other supplies," he said.

Troutman added that the rebilling of the supplemental tax should not affect the distribution of funds to local taxing bodies.

Clerk Saundra Jent did not identify who in her office made the mistake. She said she takes full responsibility for the error and apologized to the taxpayers.

Marion Mayor Bob Butler said it was "unfortunate" that a mistake was made, but that Jent should be "commended" for owning up to and addressing the problem.

"Let's do what needs to be done and move on," Butler said.

Williamson County Board Chair Brent Gentry said the only thing that concerns him about the clerical error is that someone, particularly a senior citizen, might inadvertently overlook payment of the supplemental tax and thereby run the risk of losing his or her home.

"I just hope there's not a lot of confusion between paying the second installment and paying this supplemental installment," he said.

"I know people in this courthouse, me included, who would just as soon pay money out of his own pocket as to see someone lose their home from a missed payment."

john.homan@thesouthern.com

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