Robert Grizzle picked up his tax forms Monday morning and was in line at the Ironton post office by 4 p.

Tuesday, April 18, 2000

Robert Grizzle picked up his tax forms Monday morning and was in line at the Ironton post office by 4 p.m. This yearly dash to mail off taxes to the Internal Revenue Service is an annual ritual for Grizzle.

"Tax time’s not exciting to do for me," he said. "It’s just something you have to do every year. I’m always to the last week of doing it even if I get a refund."

This is not an uncommon theme on D-Day – the last day taxes can be postmarked to make it in on time, Ironton Post Office officer in charge Kathleen Patrick said as she picked up yet another phone call from someone asking what time the post office closed.

"This is a really big day," Ms. Patrick said. "It’s just procrastination. It’s just the typical American lifestyle. Even people getting refunds have waited until today."

More common, however, is for the people who owe taxes to wait until the last minute, said Jimmie Epling, assistant director of library services at the Ironton Branch of the Briggs Lawrence County Public Library.

The library hosted Tax Night Madness Tuesday. Plain, pre-addressed legal size mailing envelopes and free copies of forms were offered to last-minute tax filers until 11 p.m., Epling said.

"We do it as a service for our patrons and customers because we are a place they can come to for tax forms that’s easily available," he said.

And Epling can understand why people would want to wait until the last minute.

"If I owed the government money, it wouldn’t do me any good to send it in early," he said. "What are they going to do with my money? At least I get to get some interest on it."

The last-minute filing bug can hit anyone. Representatives from the county – including sheriff’s deputies, Ohio University Southern Campus personnel and firefighters – could be seen standing in line at the post office half an hour before it closed.

Among those putting stamps on their envelopes and slipping them through the mail slots was the pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church – the Rev. Stephen Nierman.

"I don’t expect any refund so I wait until the last day," Nierman said. "I wait every year because I don’t expect a refund so I put it off. They’re not getting any more of my money until the last possible day."