Property Tax Payments Due

The second installment of real estate and personal property tax bills is due February 1, but don’t expect to get a reminder in the mail. Homeowners are responsible for remembering to send out their check sometime during the month of January.

Payment on or after February 2 will be subject to three percent interest in February and 1.5 percent in interest for each month after that.

Back in June, a total of 33,786 bills were sent out with 4,500 of them going to banks and mortgage companies to be paid from escrow accounts.

Last May, taxpayers approved a $66.9 million budget, which represented a 5.9 percent increase in spending over the current budget. The tax rate went up 1.6 mills to 29.5 mills.

According to Tax Assessor, a home valued at $250,000, which would be assessed at $175,000, will have to pay $5,162, an increase of $280 over last year’s rate.

This month, the tax collector’s office also sent out 4,600 supplemental motor vehicle bills to those local car owners that registered their new cars on or after October 1, 1999.

“Anyone who bought car on or after that date is subject to this supplemental billing,” explained Tax Collector Carol Mahoney. “It’s a pro-rated bill from the time period that they bought it up to September 30 of 2000.”

The tax collector’s office always gets calls from people wondering why they received a second bill.

“Years ago, people were getting away with registering their car after that date. Then the state said ‘let’s catch them for the period that they were registered,’” Mrs Mahoney said.

For more information on taxes, tax credits, or exemptions, contact the assessor’s office at 270-4240 or the tax collector’s office at 270-4320.