Templeton tax bills will go out on time

Templeton tax bills will go out on time
Eryn Dion
News Staff Writer

TEMPLETON - For the first time in two years, Templeton’s tax bills will be sent out on time, as Deputy Assessor Luanne Royer said the town had its tax rate formerly set by the state Department of Revenue last week.

The new rate — $16.64 per $1,000 of property value — represents a 40 cent increase and will add about $60 to the average tax bill, Ms. Royer said.

Compared to last fiscal year, when the town was still working through its financial crisis and struggling to get the tax rate certified in May, Ms. Royer said it was a big burden off the financial team’s shoulders to have the bulk of its work completed on time.

“It’s a relief,” she said. “It will be nice to have the tax bills on time.”

One of the financial management team’s major goals this fiscal year was getting the tax rate set on time, not an easy feat in an office working through turnover issues and limited staff — a part-time town administrator and accountant.

Ms. Royer said officials waited until the 11th hour to send paperwork off to their representative with the state revenue department with the hope that long-delayed reimbursement money from the Massachusetts School Building Authority would roll in and help cushion the projected 40 cent increase.

“Unfortunately, it didn’t come in,” Ms. Royer commented.

Rather than wait for the reimbursement funds and delay setting the rate even longer, Ms. Royer said the financial team made the decision to go ahead and submit its paperwork for the rate to be set the next day.

“We waited up until Thursday afternoon but we thought it was best to send everything out,” she said. “This would have been the third year the tax bills would have been late.”

For the first half of this year, the town struggled with a severe cash flow problem brought on by the delayed tax rate.

In January, the town took out a loan for $2.6 million to cover expenses through the remainder of the fiscal year in anticipation of having the tax rate set. 

However, the Department of Revenue would not sign off until the $505,000 budget shortfall was addressed — an issue which was not officially resolved until the annual town meeting in May.

With bills set to go out in the beginning of January, the town will likely avoid these same cash flow problems as it heads into the new year on more stable financial footing.