Pay your property taxes today

Love, today, for the autumn passes soon away, and it’s Monday Mail.

Boner

Today’s opening is from John Henry Boner.

Autumn

Finally we’re here, at the time of year you can leave the back door open and sit out on the “screamed-in porch,” as a friend of mine used to say.

It might as well be, now that the tiny mosquito carrying Zika slips through the cracks. I didn’t sit out there this summer.

Taxes

Speaking of property, don’t forget today’s the deadline to pay your Muscogee County property taxes, or at least 40 percent of what you owe, with the rest due Dec. 1.

Usually the first 40 percent is due Oct. 1, but that was Saturday, and you can’t pay your taxes when the tax commissioner’s office is closed.

Those paying in person will want to get there 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. today. The office is in Columbus’ Citizen Services Center at 3111 Citizens Way, off Macon Road by the public library. Anyone with questions may call 706-653-4211 or email dfloyd@columbusga.org.

The tax commissioner’s office will take cash, checks or money orders, but not credit cards. Checks should be payable to the Muscogee County Tax Commissioner.

The address is P.O. Box 1441, Columbus, GA 31902-1441, but any taxpayer mailing a payment must get it postmarked with today’s date to meet the deadline.

Election

Here’s an email about faith in democracy:

Hi,

In the last 12 hours the election has become even more negative, which inspired me to contact you. More and more regular people, like me, feel unwelcome in politics & government, and are opting out of this upsetting election. I thought you might be interested in sharing with people how they can avoid the nastiness and go to the polls with confidence and joy. I’m the author of “Me, The People” and I host Welcome Party Seminars.... My book is basically the civics class you never got, but presented in a lighthearted, empowering way, encouraging non-voters to feel welcome and wanted in politics and their government….

Lisa Fontana.

Dear Lisa:

Thanks for being willing to “weigh in” on this campaign.

Trail mix

Here’s an email last month from Jim Hall of the Pine Mountain Trail Association, about a kiosk recently completed at the 23-mile trail’s eastern end of Georgia Highway 85:

Well this morning Joe Skinner, Robert Daughtery, Michael Wade, Mike Riffle met up with Helen and I about 9:30 or so and we set in to finishing up the kiosk. Joe had brought the map case for me. In it is a 2015 large map and some info beside it. We have a new PMT large map with photos from along the Wolfden Loop on it on order from Communicorp.

Thanks to Frankie at Columbus Screen and Aluminum for great aluminum map case. Sims Bark in Woodbury sold us a dump truck load of mulch in bags great ground cover.

Today we installed the map case, spread the remaining grave/crush run, installed a Carsonite sign noting MILE 23 Trail Entrance, touched up the sawed ends of the cedar with deck seal, spread a dump truck load of bags of mulch then coated the bench area with Teak oil.... What will be dedicated as “NEAL’S REST” on October 15.

Thanks to all who have worked long and hard on this project.

Dear Jim:

Have y’all considered building a restroom there? That would be way more convenient than relieving yourself in the woods like a bear.

This story was originally published October 2, 2016 at 8:54 PM with the headline "Pay your property taxes today."