It is the Treasurer’s duty to collect all taxes, certified by the County Auditor, which includes real estate, mobile homes, special assessments, buildings on leased land, equipment assessed as real estate, utilities and grain handlers. 

The County Auditor delivers tax lists of the various districts to the Treasurer at the beginning of each fiscal year. taxes are segregated in taxing districts, and the amounts collected are apportioned to the various funds; State, Ag Extension, Assessor/Appraiser, County, School, corporate entities and townships.

The Treasurer is responsible for the management of the county's finances which includes the following responsibilities:

 Investing Revenues

 Keeping accurate records of monies received and disbursed

 Check supporting data for all check and cash receipts from all county monies

 Submit accurate financial records for annual audits

 Prepare monthly reports

 Prepare reports throughout the year for the Board of Supervisors and State Auditor

 Update Investments annually when required by changes in law

 Manage ACH transfers of monthly tax payments

 Send monthly monies to the Iowa Department of Transportation

 Apportion taxes to various entities

 Collect miscellaneous revenues from all county offices and departments

The Motor Vehicle Division's responsibilities include:

 License, title, collect fee for new registration and motor vehicle registrations

 Issue duplicate, salvage, in lieu and in transit titles.

 Record and release security interests.

Issue junking certificates for vehicles that are dismantled or no longer operable.

 Prepare reports for the Iowa Department of Transportation. 

 Process refund claim forms.

 Issue special license plates.

 Work with Department of Transportation Investigators.

The Annual Tax Sale is held the third Monday in June at 10:00 a.m. with an adjourned sale scheduled for the third Monday of each subsequent month. Any delinquency must be offered for sale at the Regular or Public  Bidder Tax Sale. Delinquent tax and/or special assessments advertised twice and remaining unsold for want of bidders, must be offered for sale at the annual Public Bidder Sale. Howard County is required by Iowa law to purchase the delinquencies if there is no private sector bidder.

Property taxes may be paid in two installments.

 The first half is due September 1 and becomes delinquent October 1; the second half is due March 1 and becomes delinquent April 1.

 Delinquent interest accrues at the rate of 1.5% per month, rounded to the nearest dollar with a minimum of a dollar.

 Payments for redemption from tax sale must be paid by guaranteed funds.

 The rate of interest required by Iowa law to be paid in a redemption is 2% per month.

The Real Estate Division's responsibilities include:

 To collect taxes certified for all real estate, mobile homes, special assessments, utilities.

 Process Iowa Property Tax Credit Claims for senior citizens or disabled persons.

 Pursue collection of tax liens by ordinary lawsuit or by proceeding to the taking of the tax sale deed.

 Prepare for publishing a newspaper notice of tax sale.

 Conduct annual and adjourned tax sales.

 Send notice of delinquent taxes to taxpayers with outstanding taxes as of February 1.

 Send notice of annual tax sale no later than May 1.

 Process tax sale redemptions.

The law requires that a notice be sent to property owners who have outstanding taxes as of February 1. 

The notification explains that under Iowa law, it is important for property owners to pay taxes and special assessments when they are due in order to avoid the tax sale. 

Iowa law also requires that a notice of the annual tax sale shall be mailed not later than May 1 to the person in whose name the parcel subject to sale is taxed. 

Delinquent taxes as of May 1 are assessed a publication fee and advertised for sale at the annual tax sale in June.