A new hire and the option to pay taxes online are coming to the Orange Tax Collector’s office in February. A 7 to 12 percent decrease in the tax collection rate was recently attributed to under-staffing in the office.
{{more}}
CCMC Tax Collector for the Town of Orange Sandra Pierson appeared at the January Board of Finance meeting to request help in replacing an employee who left her office for another town position last May. The tax office position was budgeted but remained empty throughout the year. Pierson referred inquiries as to why it remained open for so long to First Selectman Jim Zeoli.
“We are down, we’re normally at about 75 to 80 percent on the collection rate at this point in the year,” Pierson said in a phone interview. “Right now we’re at about 68 percent with two days left in this cycle.”
When factoring in delinquent payments, Orange has boasted a collection rate as high as 98 percent in previous years. Pierson said her office will begin pursuing late tax payments for this cycle in the beginning of February.
The position was filled as of Jan. 28, and the new employee will begin in mid-February.
What might also help, is the implementation of an online payment option starting Feb. 16. Residents will be able to go to a website and pay their tax bills according to a press release from Pierson.
Pierson announced the tax office will be set up to process online tax payments by credit card, debit card or e-checks beginning Feb. 16, 2016. Tax bill numbers must be included to define where the payment is to be applied.
Tax information is public information. The Town of Orange’s goal is to provide this information to taxpayers and their agents in order to facilitate timely tax payments.
Along with online viewing,this service is available so taxpayers can easily inquire and pay Real Estate, Personal Property and Motor Vehicle tax bills that are due, print a duplicate record from their computers and review any payments that have been made on accounts.
The database will be updated dailys, so residents can quickly and easily make online tax payments. However, those payments will not show until they are processed.
Anyone seeking a definitive answer as to what or how much they owe should speak one-on-one with a tax collector’s office employee.
Credit and debit card payments will not be accepted in the tax office or by telephone. Everything must be done through Point and Pay.
To use the system, go to the town of Orange web-site, tax collector section, and click on the link. There is a fee for this service and the link will advise you of the amount prior to submitting your transaction.
Pierson said she doesn’t know if the town will be able to hit the high 90s again on the collection for this budget but is hopeful that having staffing levels back up as well as the online option will help.
Visit the Tax Collector’s website on Feb. 16 for complete information.