Season’s greetings from PI City Hall
IN THE CITY
by Deborah Ouellette
We extend our best wishes to all citizens of Presque Isle for a joyous and peaceful holiday season as we take this opportunity to share upcoming events from our municipal calendar.
City Hall will be closed for the holiday on Monday, Dec. 24. However, those city offices responsible for providing essential public services will remain available — police, fire and public works. City Hall will reopen for regular business at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 26.
If you are enrolled in our Tax Club, the last monthly payment for the year is now due. The Tax Office recently sent out courtesy notices to taxpayers with the balance due on each tax account. After the 2012 taxes have been paid in full, we will setup a Tax Club for 2013 and send out new payment coupons for your tax accounts.
We also want to talk about the benefits of joining our Tax Club. When you enroll, we set up your account for 12 monthly payments and the first payment is due on Jan. 20, 2013. You will have the full year to pay your tax bill without any interest or penalties as long as payments are kept current. All tax accounts are eligible — real estate, personal property, residential and business. The Tax Club coupons help you budget for property tax payments during the year. The city currently has about 220 active Tax Club accounts, and this is an excellent time for anyone to join.
Everyone should be aware that tax payments can be made anytime during the year whenever it is convenient. Partial payments are accepted anytime even if your account is not enrolled in our Tax Club. Each partial payment will reduce the tax principal due on your account until the end of the grace period. Then interest will start to accrue on the unpaid balance until the taxes are paid in full.
As a reminder, the city closes its books for the year on Dec. 31. All unpaid real estate and personal property tax accounts as of that date will be included in the 2012 annual report when it is published. Payments mailed with a postmark of Dec.31, 2012 or earlier will be considered as timely paid before the year end.
From the City Clerk’s office, we want to let you know the 2013 dog tags are available. As a reminder, you have until Jan. 31, 2013 to renew your dog’s license. Beyond this date, a $25 late fee will apply, so please mark your calendar for this important deadline. All vital records requests can be made at the City Clerk’s office. Snowmobile registrations and IF&W hunting and fishing licenses are also being handled at the City Clerk’s window. Boat stickers for 2013 are now available for sale as well.
The City Assessor’s office has Homestead Exemption applications available. If you already have the Homestead Exemption, it carries over from the prior year and there is no need to reapply. For other eligible homeowner’s, the application must be filed by April 1, 2013 for the next tax commitment. Veteran’s exemption applications are also available for qualified veterans. They also have business equipment tax reimbursement (BETR) and tax exemption (BETE) program information for business taxpayers. And we have taxpayer information sheets about the Maine Circuit Breaker program at the front desk. You can find more tax relief information on the City’s website at www.presqueisle.govoffice2.com.
Finally, copies of the city’s annual report for 2011 are still available. If anyone is interested, you can pick one up during our regular business hours.
Best wishes to all for a safe, comfortable and prosperous new year.
Deborah Ouellette is Tax Collector and BMV agent for Presque Isle. She can be reached at 760-2741 and by e-mail at douellette@presqueisleme.us.
