Documents obtained by the CN show that Aviation Repair Technology (ART), operating on the Aeroplex, is delinquent to the tune of $51,880.09 in business personal property taxes for tax years 2013 and 2014. This is not the first time that the company has been delinquent in payments to the county.
On May 26, 2015, the Mississippi County Quorum Court voted to forgive all debt ($2 million) owed the county by ART. ART also entered into an agreement to satisfy their debt to the Arkansas Economic Development Commission for the $2 million the state invested into equipment. Representatives from the Airport Authority are charged with making "periodic and reasonable inspection" of all equipment and buildings, as well as quarterly inventory on equipment to make sure that that the state's investment is maintained.
"We have a block on them so they shouldn't be able to license their vehicles because they haven't paid their taxes...all I can do in this office is assess them, and we sent them a remittance of what is due...they know they have the stuff and they know they owe the taxes," Harley Bradley, Mississippi County Assessor said. "I have spoken to a couple members of their board...they are sitting out there and throwing up their noses at us.... it used to be the sheriff was the collector and he could go out there and shut their doors."
Arkansas county collectors can lock down a business and even auction off assets in order to collect past due taxes. The Pulaski County Assessor's office did that exact thing to a boot store in order to collect $14,000 in back taxes recently, according to Bradley.
"There are consequences for not paying one's taxes. With real estate, if you don't pay your taxes, after three years the property will be sold for back taxes. For individual personal property taxes, if they are not paid, you can't license your automobiles. Business taxes have teeth in them to," Bradley said.
County Collector Patricia Caldwell confirmed that ART is delinquent for the last two years.
"They are delinquent for two years. They came in one day to get a tax clearance and were denied because their taxes were delinquent. They left and I put a block in the machine, which lets the Revenue Office know not to give them tags because they haven't paid their taxes," Caldwell said. "I'm sure they have tags [on their vehicles], but I don't' know how they do it, unless they use another state."
Caldwell also said that she informed the Finance Committee that ART is delinquent, "to see if I could get a little help from them."
thenry@blythevillecourier.com