The latter two items account for over half of the monies used to operate the Town. The total budget to run the Town is voted at Annual Town Meeting. The levy limit may be exceeded by an override or debt exclusion approved by the voters at the ballot box. Once the tax rate is approved by the Department of Revenue, the Board of Assessors forwards to the Collector the valuation listing which includes the list of all property owners, addresses and valuations to which the tax rate is applied, accompanied by the warrant which authorizes the Tax Collector to produce and mail the tax bills. This means that the valuation should be about the same as the price you could expect to receive if you sold your property.
Taxes are due four times annually.
Your total bill is divided into four separate payments with the first payment due on August 1st, the second on November 1st, the third on February 1st, and the fourth on May 1st. Due to delayed setting and approving of rates, tax bills are not always issued on time, but an estimated bill will be sent. If you have not paid your taxes by the due date, you should be prepared to receive a demand notice from the Tax Collector. These will be sent 30-60 days after the first mailing or statutory due date, whichever is appropriate. The demand notice will repeat the tax due from the prior billing and include interest from the due date.