MARSHALL COUNTY, W.Va. — Recently, many people in the Northern Panhandle have been receiving tax bills for property that doesn’t belong to them. NEWS9 reached out to local authorities to find out why.

SWN and other oil and gas companies reported incorrect ownership information to the state tax authority, which in turn led to incorrect reports to local tax offices. The mix-up confused property owners, who found random names in their mailboxes.

Ohio County resident Scott Sonda has asked the state tax agency for answers but has not received any.

“The way we see it, this is just a money-making scheme by the government,” Sonda said. “We have no problem paying our fair share of taxes, but when we are unfairly ripped off, that is a problem.”

“It seems like they are not listening to the people who are most affected.”

Marshall County Tax Assessor Eric Buzzard said it is not a county problem, but rather a state problem.

He said that in Marshall County alone, more than 500 residents have already received incorrect tax notices this year.

“We here in Marshall County pride ourselves on providing accurate and correct information to our taxpayers, and when the state gets it wrong, it is a reflection on our office,” Buzzard said.

However, Buzzard said this is not the first time he has witnessed such an error. He said bills have been consistently sent to the wrong addresses in Marshall County for the past three years.

He is now frustrated and believes that the oil and gas companies must be held accountable.

“The only thing we can do at the county level is double-check the numbers presented by the state,” Buzzard said. “They are the ones responsible for all oil and gas assessment in the state.”

“All we can do is make sure their numbers are correct, and that’s about our scope in the oil and gas sector.”

The problem has already reached the state level, according to West Virginia 3rd District Delegate Jimmy Willis. He said he was made aware of the issue last week and said, in part, “This is a concerning issue that I have carefully investigated and will continue to investigate to make sure we fix it. In the meantime, I hope everyone double-checks the address on the tax bills they receive to make sure they are paying for the correct property.”

If you’ve received a tax bill, Buzzard says there are a few steps you should take. Filers must do so by Sept. 4.