Middlebury tax payments to go to lockbox

Middlebury taxpayers will send their payments to an address in Massachusetts this year. The town is implementing a lockbox system for tax payments.

By MARJORIE NEEDHAM

Middlebury residents will be sending their tax payments to a Massachusetts address this year as the town switches to having payments made to a lockbox. Property tax bills are scheduled to be mailed today, June 10. The bills are printed with the Massachusetts address (see photo) and a note that the address is correct.

A lock box is a service offered by commercial banks that simplifies collection and processing of the town’s account receivables by having those payments mailed directly to a location accessible by the bank. The service used by ION Bank is in Massachusetts.

Although the Massachusetts address is being used for mailed payments, Tax Collector Jean Dawes said, “People will still be able to come to Town Hall to pay their taxes.” Dawes said some residents prefer paying at Town Hall rather than mailing their payments.

Use of a lockbox was discussed extensively at Board of Finance meetings over the past two or three years, but the fact that the town would switch to the system was not made public until the June 8 Board of Finance meeting. It was noted in a paragraph at the bottom of the May 2016 tax collector’s report to the board.

First Selectman Edward B. St. John said at that meeting, “We kept quiet until we were ready to do it.” He added, “The tax office is not closing. It will still be here.” St. John thanked Dawes for shepherding the project through.

Dawes told the newspaper Thursday she initially opposed using a lockbox system because she talked to the Southbury tax collector about the difficult experience that town had with its initial attempt to use a lockbox system. She said once she was assured Middlebury would not face the same difficulties, she felt comfortable moving to the new system.