To the editor:

On Dec. 6, I mailed, in separate envelopes, checks for both my real estate and personal property taxes to the St. Louis County Department of Revenue.

I received my paid personal property tax receipt dated Dec. 10, 2013. As it was getting close to the end of the year and I did not receive my paid receipt for my real estate taxes, I visited the county government office off Lemay Ferry Road Monday, Dec. 23, and was told that if I didn’t receive it by Friday, Dec. 27, to come back in and make out another check, which I did.

I have the receipt for the one paid on Dec. 27, 2013, assuming that when and if they received the mailed check, they would see it was already paid and return my first check.

No, they cashed that check also. I called the county office and they told me it would be three weeks before they would return my money.

After checking with County Councilman Steve Stenger’s office, they called the county and the county told them that they would send a form for me to fill out. I also needed to send a copy of my driver’s license and they would issue a refund.

The taxpayer is the one with burden of proof and penalties assessed if not paid on time because of their inefficiency. How about compensating taxpayers when they have had your money for over a month and who knows how much longer?

Let’s get some efficiency, if possible, in the county government, or is this an impossibility?