November 2021

Procedure

To register a taxpayer account:

1. The patron may show a current year tax statement in the free service area or you can look up the address by county at these sites, which show property and owner information:
   • Multnomah County -  multcoproptax.com. It will show the property and owner information.
   • Clackamas County - clackamas.us/at/statement.html
   • Washington County - washcotax.co.washington.or.us
2. The standard Requirements apply, including checking for previous records and excluding the residency requirement. 
3. Ask the patron for the names of other authorized individuals in the household.
4. If a previous account does exist, see #3 below.

5. Enter the patron record as described in Entering new records, plus,

   Profile name: Choose TAX (Adult) or TAX_Y (Youth). 

   County: Choose OTHER.

   Extended Info tab: Enter the names of all the family members in the household in a HISTORY field.

   The expiration date will automatically be set at a year from the day of registration.  You can find this date by clicking the Permissions tab.   

   Save and close the patron record.

Individual is a member of a household for which a tax statement has already been shown.

1.  Ask for the name of the primary cardholder, the person who opened the taxpayer account.  
2. Use the Display User wizard, then the User Search helper to look up the primary cardholder.
3. Ask the patron for identification. Compare ID to a name listed in the HISTORY field in the Extended Info tab of the primary cardholder's account.
4. If the name appears in the primary cardholder's account, create or update an account for the individual.
   1. Note the User ID (library card number) of the primary cardholder and enter it into a HISTORY field of the household member's new card.
   2. Click the Permissions tab and set the same expiration date as the primary cardholder.
   3. Set the Profile name to TAX or TAX_Y.  

To renew a Taxpayer registration:

1. Verify the list of household members and update as necessary.
2. Set the expiration date to one year from the date of renewal for all household members.

Policy

A patron who lives outside the Free service area but pays property tax for real (land or buildings) or personal (such as office furnishings) holdings, may have free library service for themselves and their household. A household is defined as the individuals who reside at one address.

Proof of taxpayer status is required in the form of a property tax statement from a county in the free service area for the current year. When a tax statement is presented, it must have the applicant's name on it. If it is addressed to a business which has Incorporated, Inc. or any other abbreviation indicating the business is incorporated, the individual is not eligible for a taxpayer card.

Identification requirements for taxpayer cards are the same as for other types of cards. See Requirements.

Rationale

Much of the library's support comes from property taxes. We recognize that people who reside outside the free service area may directly support library services by paying property taxes.

Taxes paid by an incorporated business do not qualify an individual for library service because the taxes are paid by the business, not the individual.