After an hour of wasted time trying to pay his local taxes on Monday night, Kyle Clark figured he'd log back on to the website when it wasn't so busy.

So at 3:30 a.m. yesterday, he opened his eyes. He signed into his account with the Regional Income Tax Agency, paid what he owed the city of Ashville and went back to bed.

"No problems," Clark said.

Waking up in the middle of the night, it turned out, was one of the few ways to avoid the flurry of last-minute filings that slowed RITA's website to a crawl and choked the agency's phone lines.

Demand was so high - and service to keep up so lagging - that RITA, based in the Cleveland suburb of Brecksville, ultimately cut its frustrated users a break. The agency announced yesterday that local taxpayers won't face late-filing penalties or interest as long as their returns are postmarked or electronically filed by midnight on Monday.

In a news release, RITA said it was "facing the challenge of unprecedented demand for filing services" and had responded by increasing Internet bandwidth and phone coverage. The agency said about 10,000 tax forms had been filed electronically from midnight to noon yesterday, and that it was handling more than 200 calls and 100 in-person visits each hour.

"We are still determining the root cause(s) [of the problems], but can certainly identify an increase in volume as a contributing factor," RITA Executive Director Donald Smith wrote in an email.

RITA administers tax programs for 240 communities in Ohio, among them 13 in Franklin County and a handful of others in surrounding counties, including Ashville in Pickaway County. Local community officials who've long partnered with RITA said they've never experienced troubles like the ones that began as the weekend ended and the April 15 tax deadline approached.

In the past two days, residents have called, emailed and dropped by city buildings, wondering why RITA's website seemed locked up and its automated system was down. Most importantly, they wanted to know how they were going to pay their taxes on time.

"We're getting a lot of calls," said Gahanna spokeswoman Niel Jurist. "People are frustrated. But at the end of the day, we're doing our best to help alleviate some of those concerns."

Even before RITA's announcement, some cities, including Gahanna, Hilliard and Grandview Heights, said they would delay penalties against those who tried to file their taxes with RITA but couldn't. They also posted their own links to tax forms that had become nearly impossible to download from RITA's site. While no cities seemed eager to part ways with the tax agency, they did want answers and assurances that the problems will be fixed.

"We've got to look at that, talk about RITA ... find out why it happened," said Greg Tantari, Hilliard's deputy finance director. "We want our taxpayers to be happy."

*Editors Note:   The City of Gahanna has extended the deadline for citizens to file their local income taxes until Monday, April 21, 2014.  For more information, click here. 

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Gahanna Parks & Recreation has lots of exciting activities going on this summer, so don't miss out! Now is the best time to register-Early Bird rates are available through April 25.

Aquatics 

• One membership for 2 pools!
• Be one of the first 500 households to purchase your membership and receive a free 5-visit bonus pass!

Summer Camp Experiences

Registrations taken until all spots are filled!

• Jump Start Traditional Camp @ Friendship Park (ages 6-12)
• Camp Friendship @ Hannah Park (ages 5-12)
• CORE @ Friendship Park (ages 12-14)

Visit the Parks & Recreation page at www.Gahanna.gov  and click on 'Aquatics' or 'Camp' for more details, including swim lessons and pool activities.

Yoga for Active Adults 

Looking for a way to regain balance and reduce stress in your life?  Try Yoga!   

Join our very experienced yoga teachers who have years of instructional knowledge ready to share in a variety of yoga programs offered through Parks & Recreation. In addition to Hatha Yoga for Beginners and Experienced yoginis and Slow Flow Yoga, additional workshops include Yoga for Kids, Aromatherapy Yoga Workshop and Centered-Yoga Workshop. Adults may also enjoy Urban Zen, a newer trend that includes gentle movements, restorative yoga poses, aromatherapy, soothing breath awareness, reiki and meditation.

Not for you? Try our low-impact, drop-in fitness classes at The Center, 480 Rocky Fork Blvd. These classes include Wabi�, low impact aerobics and Zumba and beginning and advanced line dance.

Visit the Adult Programs page in the latest Gateway or give us a call at   614-342-4250 to register.  

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Gahanna Cleans Green  

Saturday, April 26, 2014  

 

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Herb Day 

Saturday, May 10, 2014