SIGN-UP NOW FOR e-Bill ON-LINE TAX PAYMENTS FOR REAL ESTATE, PERSONAL PROPERTY AND MOTOR VEHICLE EXCISE: (ACH) Electronic Check, MasterCard, Discover or American Express. [SEE ABOVE LINKS]. USE LOGIN OPTION AFTER INITIAL SIGN-UP.
ON-LINE PAYMENTS FOR TRASH AND WATER/SEWER. [SEE SEPARATE LINK ABOVE.]
The purpose of a Quarterly Real Estate and Personal Property tax payment system provides taxpayers with greater certainty about payment due dates and communities with a more evenly distributed level of income throughout the fiscal year. Under a quarterly tax payment system, a city or town substantially reduces if not eliminates costly short-term borrowing in anticipation of tax (TANS) revenue and generally increases investment income. Quarterly billing was accepted by Monson voters at Town Meeting in 1992. Its implemention has proven to extremely successful for this municipality and continues to provide an even cash flow.
3rd Quarter ACTUAL REAL ESTATE AND PERSONAL PROPERTY TAX payments for Fiscal Year 2008 are due and payable on February 1, 2008 Any bill remaining outstanding after the due date will be charged interest at a rate of 14% as required by Massachusetts General Laws on Taxation. Questions on assessments, exemptions or abatements should be directed to the Monson Board of Assessors' office at (413)267-4120. Questions on payments or payment arrangements should be directed to the Town Collector's office at (413)267-4119. Public hours are Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The town accepted Community Preservation Act [CPA], as well as unpaid Trash Liens and Trash Lien Interest, are now part of Special Assessments billed and calculated on Real Estate Tax bills starting with January 2008.
Drop-Off Payment Boxes now located at Adams/IGA Supermarket, the Monson Woodbine Country Store, the Monson Free Library and the Monson Police Department Lobby. The Police Department Lobby is open24 hours a day 7 days a week. Drop-Off Boxes are for CHECK Payments Only.
Please take the opportunity to make a donation to the Town of Monson Scholarship Fund and Senior/Disabled Fund along with payment of your taxes.
3nd Quarter Water and Sewer Bills for Fiscal Year 2008 ( usage period October 2007 through December 2007 are due and payable on Tuesday, February 19, 2008. Payments not received by the due date will be charged interest at a rate of 14%, as required by town accepted By-Law. Questions on usage or readings should be directed to the Water/Sewer Department at (413)267-4130. Questions on payments or payment arrangements should be directed to the Town Collector's office.
Motor Vehicle Excise Tax bills are due on Monday, March 31, 2008, for the 1st Commitment of Calendar 2008. Any bill remaining outstanding after the due date will be charged interest at a rate of 12% as required by Massachusetts General Laws on taxation. Application for abatement or refund must be filed with the Board of Assessors in writing on an approved form. Abatement applications are also available on line at the Board of Assessors' Web Page for downloading. Filing of an Application for Abatement does not stay payment of the tax. Monson Board of Assessors (413)267-4120.
Trash Collection Bills for Fiscal 2008 2ND HALF YEAR are due and payable on March 7, 2008. These bills represent Trash Collection services from January 1, 2008 through June 30, 2008. Anyone wishing to file for an abatement must do so by filling out the required information on the reverse side of the Trash bill. Abatement applications are also available on line on the Town Collector's Web Page and also on the Web Page of the Board of Health. Interest will be charged at a rate of 14% from the billing date on overdue accounts, as required by town accepted By-Law. Questions on abatements, exemptions, payments or payment arrangement should be referred to the Town Collector's office. The Spring "Bulky Day" is scheduled for Saturday, May 3, 2008 at Quarry Hill
Community School from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Winter Over Night Parking Permits are required at Dave Grieve Park by December 1st of each calendar year. Orange Permits must be purchased at the office of the Town Collector for $5.00 and displayed somewhere visibly on the parked vehicle. Any unauthorized vehicle will be ticketed and towed at the owner's expense.
What are the responsibilities and qualifications of the Town Collector?
The Town Collector is a public official who is appointed by the Finance Director of the town and together with excises, betterments, special assessments and certain other charges which are added to and committed as taxes has the responsibility to collect all committed amounts under Massachusetts General Laws on Taxation. With the acceptance of Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 41, Section 38A by Monson at a Town Meeting vote in February 1986, the scope of authority broadened allowing the collector under the title of the Monson Town Collector to collect all accounts due to the municipality. Acceptance of these provisions in a municipality establishes a greater fiscal responsibility and provides for a bonded official, namely the collector, to assume the responsibility for the collection of all billed revenue due and owing to the town,
such as certain license fees, user's fees, permits and other departmental receivables which have been committed for collection. The Collector is a member of the Financial Components for the Town of Monson which consists of the Accountant, Assessor, Collector, Treasurer and the Town Administrator. Serving the Town of Monson for over 22 years, Dorothy P. Jenkins is a graduate of Northampton Junior College, Class of 1969, with a major in Executive Secretarial Science and an Alumnus of American International College, earning her degree in 1976. Mrs. Jenkins worked for over 15 years as a Marketing Annalist and Sales Representative in the Telecommunications Industry (New England Telephone Company and AT&T) before becoming Monson's newly established Town Collector in 1986. She is a State Certified Massachusetts Municipal Collector, and a member of the Education Committee for the State of Massachusetts Collectors and Treasurers
Association. She teaches classes in Collections and monitors presentations at UMASS for this State Association. The Education Committee, for which she belongs, is responsible for all programs related to the education, training, testing and Certification of the members of the Association. The Committee coordinates the Annual School at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, MA, the Annual Summer Conference in Falmouth, MA, and plans regular meetings with the Executive Director of the MCTA. Dorothy also has membership with the Northeast Regional Tax Collectors and Treasurers Association and serves as a member of the Hampden County Municipal Collectors and Treasurers Association. Kathy J. Carr, Assistant Town Collector, has served the Town of Monson for over 20 years and is one of the State's first Certified Massachusetts Municipal Assistant Collectors, earning her Certification in 2004. She has a backround in Retail Sales and
Banking, working for Monson Savings Bank before accepting her position with the Town of Monson. Mrs. Carr holds an active membership with the Massachusetts Collectors and Treasurers Association, as well as the Hampden County Municipal Collectors and Treasurers Association.
What is the Authority of the Collector?
The Massachusetts General Laws, most notably Chapters 41, 44, 58, 59, 60, 60A, 80 and 90 provide the manner through which the collector derives the authority to proceed to collect and enforce the collection of taxes committed to them. The collector's lot is neither easy nor popular as they must compel payment of the taxes as levied or assessed by the proper authority. Regardless from whom the taxes are due, they are to be collected and accounted for in the manner decreed by law. The collector must avail themselves of all statutory remedies to enforce the collection. A collector who is acting in "good faith" cannot sit passively and merely receive such taxes as may be paid voluntarily, but must make an honest effort to enforce the collection under the powers conferred upon them or provided under the statutes. Most
collection categories are due 30 days from issue. Interest is charged at a rate of 12% or 14% on delinquent accounts, depending on the tax or miscellaneous collection. Upon the issuance of Demand Notices, additional collection fees are added to delinquent accounts as provided by Law. Certain delinquent collection categories are referred to the Deputy Sheriff for the servicing of Collection Warrants, authorized by State Statue. The bonded Deputy Sheriff for the Town of Monson is Jeffery & Jeffery, Deputy Tax Collectors, P.O. Box 720, Ware MA 01082 (413)967-9941 - Office Hours Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
The following are the categories and areas that the Town Collector is responsible for in Billing, Collecting and Processing. All bill preparation is handled in house and not out-sourced to a 3rd party vendor. This provides for tremendous cost savings and excellent internal control of data for accurate up to date information.
[Collections Exceed $10,000,000 dollars per year with a Collection Index of over 98%]
First Town Department to Establish Network Capabilites Within Office
Real Estate Tax Billing and Collection
Implemented and Automated CRT [Collector's Revenue Turnover]
Personal Property Tax Billing and Collection
Motor Vehicle Excise Tax Billing and Collection
Interacts Daily with the Town's Bonded Deputy Sheriff
On-Line Payment Options
On-Line Connections to the Registry of Deeds and the Registry of Motor Vehicles
Instituted and Monitors Payment Drop-Off Boxes Throughtout the Town
Water and Sewer Billing and Collection
Remote Access to Water/Sewer Department for Downloads of Retrieved Data Usage
Prepares Quarterly Billing Commitment Warrants for the Water/Sewer Department
Trash Billing and Collection
Community Preservation Act [CPA] Billing and Collection
Trash Liens
Trash Lien Interest
Prepares Trash Billing Commitment Warrants for the Board of Health
Supplemental Real Estate Taxes
Parking Ticket Fine Violations
Parking Permits
Cross Alter Permits
Zoning Enforcement Violation Fines
Smoke/Tobacco Violations Fines
Real Estate Roll-Back Taxes
Payment in Lieu of Taxes
Withdrawal Taxes
Omitted Real Estate Taxes
Pro-Forma Taxes
Conveyance Taxes
Betterments
Experienced Collection Techniques
Miscellaneous Taxes Paid After Abatement
Bar Coded, Addressed Return Payment Envelopes Accompany all Bills
Taxpayers Kept Informed by use of the Web-Site, News Media, and Public Access T.V.
Provide On-Line Payment Capability for Taxpayers Choosing to Access the Internet
Transmittion of Data Files to all Banks, Mortgage Companies and Tax Services
Prepares Daily Bank Deposits
Submits Bi-Weekly Turnovers to Town Treasurer
Prepares Bill Schedules to the Town Accountant
Monthly Reconciliations with the Town Accountant
Attends Finance Committee Budgetary Meetings
Prepares Bi-Weekly Payroll Sheets for the Collector's Department
Oversees all 5 of the Computer Collection Programs with the Town's Software Vendor
Acts as a Data Collection Center and Verification Area for other Town Departments
Scholarship Fund Contributions
Senior/Disabled Contributions
Municipal Lien Certificates [All Property Sales, Transfers and Refinancing]
Maintains Collector's Revolving Fund
Registry of Motor Vehicle Marking Fees
Facilitates the Usage of both the Hasler and Duplo Equipment for Town Departments
Quarterly Reports to Town Departments Utilizing Postage & Bulk Mail Discounts
Assists in Maintaining Informational Updates to the Town's Web-Site
Coordinates the Selling and Inventory of Compost Bins and Trash Recycling Bins
Assists with the Bi-Annual Implementation of "Bulk Item Day" with the Board of Health
An Advisor to the Board of Health in coordinating the Trash Billing Program
Reviews All Trash Abatement Applications and Prepares Warrants for BOH
Intra-Communication with Town Departments at all Levels
Bank Research Fees
Tracking and Redeeming Receipt of Dishonored Checks
Collection Fees
Interest on Delinquent Accounts
Researches and Prepares Legal Advertisements for Tax Takings
Prepares Instruments of Taking for Tax Title Filings at the Registry of Deeds
Redemption Certificates
Tax Payment Summaries for Income Tax Filings
Collection Warrants to Deputy Sheriff
Recyclable Bulk Items ("Bulky Day")
Trash Hauler Permits
Sanctions all Authorized Abatement and Refund Transactions
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