FAIRFIELD — Tax day brought taxpayers out Monday — excuses at the ready.

        At the Fairfield Post Office, a regional center of tax mailings, the parking lot was filled by late afternoon as people scrambled to mail their income tax returns before the midnight deadline.

        “Every year I wait until the last day,” said Lloyd Johnson, 37, of Fairfield. “And every year I say I won't. Sending in my income tax form is probably my least favorite thing to do with public things.

AS AN ASIDE...

Late tax filers enjoy some perks     The U.S. Postal Service tried to soothe frustrations Monday.     It kept three post offices open — Fairfield, Cincinnati (at Liberty and Dalton) and Florence, Ky. — until midnight, with full window service.     Fairfield's Lane Public Library and the Postal Service teamed to offer Tax Night, designed to help people facing last-minute filings.     Other amenities helped soothe angry and frustrated taxpayers.     “At one of the post offices in Dayton, a pizza company handed out free pizza,” said Shirley Clark, a spokeswoman for the Postal Service in Cincinnati. “In Cincinnati, there was free ice cream and Chick-Fil-A given away. A radio station even planned to set up an old car with a "Dodge Your Taxes' sign and let people bash it with a sledgehammer.”

        “But I've improved. I used to wait until 10 at night to send it in. That made my wife say, "You've just got to mail those taxes sooner!' Really, I don't know why I wait so long. I guess it's because the whole thing is such a chore.”

        Earl Russell, 68, of Fairfield, knows full well why he waits.

        “The reason I file so late is that I owe the feds $332,” he said. “That's my logic. Taxes were supposed to be lower this year, but that's questionable.”

        Although area post offices braced for an avalanche of tax mail Monday, “we don't have a clue about volume this year,” said Bonni Manies, spokeswoman for the U.S. Postal Service in Cincinnati. “There has been a substantial change with electronic filing. The IRS has really encouraged people to e-file. I'd say the majority of people who'll get refunds have e-filed.”

        Vicky Elleman, Fairfield's carrier supervisor, said the volume of mail was heavy by late Monday afternoon. “Everybody waits until the last minute,” she said. “If only we could do this much business every day. The post office could use it.”

        Ms. Manies said parking problems forced the post office this year to shift its main suburban activities from Hamilton to Fairfield and Covington to Florence, Ky.

        She said she could not yet compare the volume of mail to that of previous years, but she thought it would be heavy.

        The larger post offices were staffed by a small army of employees who are “there to help, to be out on the corners to take tax envelopes and help save traffic congestion and inconvenience,” added Shirley Clark of the Cincinnati post office.

        “They just try to make it fun — anything to make the customer happier. Let's face it, the ones who are messing around with taxes at this late date are those who won't get a refund. So they won't be too happy.”

        But Rusty Terry, 33, of Hamilton, smiled as he dropped his tax returns into the mail box.

        “Typically, I don't file this late, but my accountant didn't finish his work until last Friday, so here I am,” he said.

        Jack Campbell, 53, of Fairfield, had to stand in line to buy a stamp, even though he filed electronically this year.

        “I paid online but now I still have to send in my return,” he said. “Online paying is excellent.”

        Despite the modern conveniences, Jolinne Kerl of Fairfield said she files on April 15 every year and expects to continue.

        “It's kind of a family tradition,” she said.

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