As of Friday morning the Chilton County Tax Collector’s Office had collected 13,696 out of nearly 30,000 parcels countywide.

By the looks of things, there is a long way to go. But as of Friday morning, the office had taken in about $646,000 more in revenue than on the same date in 2007, Tax Collector Tim Little said.

“Dollar-wise, we’re a little bit ahead of where we were a year ago,” he said, attributing at least part of the change to the new Web site, www.chiltoncountyrevenue.com, where taxpayers can pay with their debit cards.

“The Web site’s being used,” he said. “It has really kept the phone from ringing. It’s going quite well.”

Many of those phone calls come from mortgage companies and attorneys calling to see if property taxes have been paid on certain parcels. Nowadays, you can type in the parcel number on the Web site instead of having to call the office directly.

Little reminds property owners that tax is due by Dec. 31. Late taxpayers will face a penalty of an additional $5 per parcel, then an additional 1 percent in monthly increments.

The office will be closed Wednesday and Thursday, Dec. 24 and 25, as well as New Year’s Day and Friday, Jan. 2. All mailed payments must be postmarked no later than Dec. 31.

“The best ways for people to pay their taxes are to mail them in or log on to our Web site,” Little said.

“That will prevent people from having to come in and stand in line.”