INDIANAPOLIS -- Some Marion County homeowners are opting to pay their property taxes early, which could mean an influx of cash for struggling schools.

Thursday was the last day to pay the first half of the 2009 property taxes. But with the second bill due in less than three months, many homeowners just paid both, 6News' Norman Cox reported.

"(About) 20 percent are paying both, and then there are a few that are paying all of what is due today, and a little bit of what is due in February," said Marion County Treasurer Michael Rodman.

Rodman said he will get the early payments out as soon as possible to schools and local government units that have been borrowing to make ends meet because of the late bills.

Washington Township Schools officials said the extra cash won't help them because they must decide how much they're borrowing before that money would arrive.

But Indianapolis Public Schools Superintendent Eugene White said the money will be greatly appreciated.

"This'll be tremendous for us, especially in the capital projects fund," he said. "We have a lot of repair projects to do. We have some land we'd like to look at purchasing."

IPS won't be able to use the money to reduce its debt because it is an operating fund deficit and schools aren't allowed to transfer between funds.

This is the third year in a row that property tax bills came out late because of problems in reassessment, but Rodman said that the regular May-November schedule will resume next year.