With almost half of the DeKalb County’s $7.5 million tax base collected as the end of January, the trustee's office is looking at its busiest month in February.

Trustee Sean Driver said collections are so far are coming in as expected, with 46.66 percent collected at the same time last year.

"We're usually at this same level every year, with about the same percentages," Driver recently told the county commission. "We are going into the month of February and we're going to be busy," he said. "By looking at past years, we're due to collect about $3.5 million this month. That's collecting about half of the tax base in February alone."

The options for paying property taxes include paying in person at the trustee's office, by mail, or online at www.tennesseetrustee.com. Online payments will include a fee amounting to 2.75 percent of your tax bill if a debit or credit card is used, or an e-check may be utilized for $2.50 on any total. MasterCard, Visa, Discover, or American Express are accepted. Driver said the fees go to Business Information Systems, not DeKalb County.

The trustee said partial payments in any amount will also be accepted. The unpaid portion will accrue a penalty at 1.5 percent and interest per month beginning March 1. Partial payments on 2013 delinquent taxes will be accepted until March 31.

Unpaid property taxes for 2013 will be turned over to Chancery Court on April 1 for collection. A total of 97.3 percent of 2013 property taxes have been collected, and a notice will be sent to those still have not paid this week.

Tax relief is available until April 6 by visiting the trustee’s office at 732 South Congress Boulevard, Room 103 the phone number is 597-5176.

The office is open from 8 a.m. Monday through Friday. Feb. 28, a Saturday, is the last day to pay 2014 property taxes before penalties begin to accrue. Though the office is normally closed on Saturday, Driver said he will be open from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. that day.