We held a community forum on the budget last week, where over 100 people attended and provided thoughts and suggestions for us during the budget season. Please complete the budget survey that can be found at www.colchesterct.gov and in Town offices, the library, Senior Center, Fire Department, and schools.
One of the things that I “heard” throughout the discussion and from the comment sheets is that there’s a lot happening in Town government that our residents don’t yet know about. That said, I’ve asked department heads to provide comments to be used in this column to help us all understand what services are provided to Colchester. This week John Chaponis, our Tax Assessor, and Tricia Coblentz, our Tax Collector, provide a brief overview of their departments. The full article can be found on our website and their displays may be viewed in the Town Hall entrance area. Displays will change weekly, department by department.
The Assessor has the responsibility for the discovery, listing and valuing of all taxable property located in the Town and filing an annual Grand List (tax list). The Grand List is further identified and separated into Real Estate, Personal Property & Registered Motor Vehicle classifications. These lists are created each year, and will be the basis for determining each taxpayer’s personal share of the town budget (Local Taxes). Connecticut State Law governs the entire process and procedures, and creation of such lists by the Assessor.
Each new Grand List will include all newly constructed, improved & renovated properties along with all newly purchased personal property & motor vehicles. As part of this duty, the Assessor will visit more than 1,000 properties annually to complete inspections. This year, the Assessor’s Office increased the Real Estate Grand List by 26.6 million which generated an additional $615,000 in actual tax dollars.
In Connecticut, Assessors are required to implement a town-wide revaluation every five years. Colchester did so in 2006 and valued all real estate as of October 1, 2006. That date will remain our “date of valuation” until we complete our next town-wide revaluation in 2011. So, even though the real estate market has declined since 2006, we must continue to value ALL real estate, even new homes built in 2009, as of the 2006 date of valuation. This system ensures that all property owners are treated uniformly.
The Assessor is required by law to approve or deny all exemptions. Some exemptions are funded by the State. We currently administer exemption applications for Elderly, Disabled, Blind, Veterans, Low Income Veterans, and Tax Exempt Organizations.
The Tax Collector’s Office strives to provide professional, courteous and efficient service to the public. We work to annually collect the highest percentage of current and delinquent real estate, motor vehicle and personal property taxes to maximize revenues to the Town and contribute to the lowest possible annual mill rate.
Our office is staffed with a Full Time Tax Collector, Assistant Tax Collector and a part time Collecting Aide. The Tax Office is responsible for billing and for collecting payment where bills become due July 1st. Interest is charged per CT law at a rate of 1.5% from the due date or 18% annually. Interest is calculated on a monthly basis and is charged the first of each month. No one, including the tax collector, has the authority to waive, reduce or negotiate the interest due.
Our Office aggressively works with DMV, State Marshalls and an Attorney to assist in the collections of delinquent taxes. Personal Property bills are enforced with liens and the issuance of warrants.
Enforcement actions are not pleasant but a necessary function of our office. We encourage all tax payers to work with us to avoid enforcement action. After an account has been turned over to either the Marshall or Attorney, they become an agent for the Town and all payments must be made directly to that agent.
During these hard economic times we encourage any taxpayer that is having a hardship to contact the Tax Collector to set up a payment plan. We take all payments into consideration before sending an account over for collections.
Previous Selectman Notes can be viewed at
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