Town switches from semi-annual to quarterly tax billing

Date: 7/2/2012

July 2, 2012

By Chris Maza

chrism@thereminder.com

EAST LONGMEADOW — Residents have most likely already found their first quarterly tax bill in their mailbox this week as the town moves away from a semi-annual billing cycle for real estate tax collection in fiscal year 2013 (FY13).

Town Clerk, Treasurer and Collector Thomas Florence and Director of Assessing Diane Hildreth have attempted to inform residents through postings at Town Hall and the town's website, as well as a question and answer session with East Longmeadow Cable Access Television that was aired and posted on the town's official Facebook page.

The first round of preliminary bills will not reflect current assessments or tax rate, Hildreth said in the video.

"[The preliminary bill] will not have a tax rate and it will not have an assessment and the reason it won't have that information is they have not been determined as of yet," she said. "Your preliminary tax bill will be based on your prior year's valuation and prior year's tax rate and we will be asking [taxpayers] to pay 1/4 of your prior year on Aug. 1 and 1/4 on Nov. 1. Then we will be determining the actual tax rates and assessment and we will begin going into the actual tax billing process."

The first round of bills that will reflect the FY13 assessments and tax rate will not be released until closer to 2013.

"They will be coming out most likely right before the new year. They should be hitting your mailbox by Jan. 1 [2013] and those payments will be due by Feb. 1 [2013]. That will be your first actual tax bill," she said. The final bill will be due on May 1.

While payments are expected quarterly, bills will only be mailed out twice a year to save on postage costs, Florence said.

"When you get your bill on July 1, it will include your first and second portions of your preliminary bills," he said. "Then when you get your actual bills on Jan. 1 [2013], it will include two payment stubs for your bill due Feb. 1 [2013] and your bill due May 1 [2013]."

The move, which was announced earlier in the year, is a measure that has been taken to provide more stability to the town and the taxpayers, according to Florence.

He explained that while quarterly billing would not have a major effect on those who escrow their taxes on their homes, but could benefit those who do not.

"For the people who come and pay over the counter or have to come up with the money, it will be easier to come up with smaller amounts four times a year, hopefully, than to come up with two bigger amounts twice a year," he said.

Florence added that a more consistent influx of cash would help the town avoid the complications involved with short-term borrowing.

"It does help the cash flow from a town's perspective with receivables coming in on a more consistent basis," he said. "We don't want our coffers to run dry, so this will give us a nice cash flow situation throughout the year without us having to look at the short-term borrowing effects."

The Assessors Office will be accepting exemption applications, starting on Oct. 15 and action will be taken on those once assessments and the tax rate are decided upon.

Anyone with questions regarding the payment of taxes should call Florence's office at 525-5400 ext. 1000. Those with questions regarding assessments or exemptions should contact the Assessors Office at 525-5400 ext. 1600.