COBB COUNTY - Cobb County Tax Commissioner Gail Downing said that there was almost no change in the percentage of residents who paid their taxes on time this year compared to last year, although many bills were not paid in full.

Although 90.5 percent of Cobb County residents paid their taxes on or before the 2008 due date, the number of people meeting the deadline increased slightly this year to 90.8 percent.

"While we actually saw a slight increase in those who paid on time this year, we are not collecting as much money as we expected, so that tells us that many people are not paying their taxes in full, just what they can pay right now," Downing said.

The tax commissioner's office has only received $630 million of the $685 million expected to be collected this year. Downing said that 129,719 tax bills were paid by mortgage companies.

Late payments incur a 5 percent penalty plus 1 percent interest per month.

Seven homeowners hurt by the September flooding have been approved for a penalty-free extension approved by the Board of Commissioners. Together, those seven tax bills total $40,460, and those are considered in the 90.8 percent of homeowners who paid on time.

Applications from 21 more property owners, representing $72,154 in outstanding taxes, are pending approval.

Property owners affected by the floods have until Dec. 31 to apply for the extension. If approved, they will make a $50 payment toward their bills and have until April 15 to pay in full without being charged penalties.

The Cobb County Tax Commissioner's office handles the collection of taxes for Cobb County, Cobb County Schools, the city of Acworth, the Cumberland and Town Center Community Improvement Districts, and the state's quarter-mill property tax. The other five cities in Cobb - Marietta, Smyrna, Kennesaw, Powder Springs and Austell - handle their own billing and collection.