By Chris Frost
Eagle Times News Editor
CLAREMONT, NH — Residents will soon receive half as many tax bills from the city as they are used to. Unfortunately for taxpayers, the city won’t also be slashing the taxes they owe.
During its Wednesday, Sept. 27, meeting, the City Council approved changing its tax billing from quarterly to bi-annually.
The fiscal year will remain July 1 through June 30, and semi-annual billing will begin July 1.
Asst. Mayor Debora Matteau introduced the ordinance, seconded by Councilor Spencer Batchelder. Councilor Andrew O’Hearne voted no.
Finance Director Diane Mulholland presented the change and said Claremont is one of four communities in the state with quarterly billing.
“We are looking for tax collector software in order to make the conversion and give us more availability of options; we would have to make this change,” she said.
Mayor Dale Girard asked if people in escrow will receive notices from the city so they could work with their banks.
Mulholland said the city can reach out to the escrow companies and find out if it actually makes a difference.
“I believe they’re escrowing the same amount of money,” she said. Girard wondered if they would be escrowing a little bit more.
“Your July and October will be all paid in July, which is why I was thinking it was going to increase the amount,” he said.
Mulholland said City Clerk and Tax Collector Gwen Melcher can contact tax service companies and determine what kind of change will happen.
“We send a file to those escrow companies, so they’ll get it twice a year like everybody else,” Mulholland said.
Councilor Andrew O’Hearne asked if the city would send out a notice to residents about the change.
“We could write a letter and send it out,” Mulholland said. “We can send it with the next tax bill. We’ll write something and send it with the December tax bill to prepare people.”
Councilor Jonathan Stone thinks the city should do its due diligence and post it in public places, as well as social media sites and the newspaper. Mulholland added there is a TV outside the tax collector’s office.
City Manager Yoshi Manale interjected that the city would have to bring back language for the councilors to approve changing the tax bill.
“We’ll write the letter and let you see it before it goes out,” Mulholland said.
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