(Columbia, SC)  Richland County Treasurer David Adams has worked three years to create a full-service county office in the Northeast.  On Friday his office became the first to submit a working budget to address the needs of the Northeast community, and decrease the crowding at the County Administration building.

Almost 13,000 taxpayers on average come to the Treasurer’s Office to pay taxes each month.  For the last two years, one-third of taxpayers who pay downtown were from Northeast zip codes (29016, 29223 and 29229). 

                                               2013               ___            2012   

In-Office Payments               154,238                       151,941

From NE Zip Codes                 51,322                          50,750

“Our Council has been supportive of addressing the huge growth in Northeast Richland and a new office is needed to be more professional and taxpayer-friendly for our citizens,” Adams said. 

“This is one of a number of projects Council will consider, but I hope it is a priority because a new office would help everyone, not just the people in the Northeast. It would also become easier to find a parking space and conduct business at our downtown office for those who don’t live in the Northeast,” Adams continued.

The creation of a full-service office is a part of the 2014-15 potential capital projects budget that Richland County Council will review in the coming months. 

 “People have to deal with government – they don’t choose to – therefore, we should make it as easy as possible for them,” Adams concluded. “A full-service Northeast office – where our growth is happening – would meet those needs.”