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Resident presses Town of Templeton over missing excise bill and certified-mail cost
Summary
At the Feb. 12 Select Board meeting a resident said a missing motor vehicle excise bill was mailed by certified mail, costing the town more to collect than the tax owed and urged the town to audit mailing practices.
Liz Toth of Great Road told the Town of Templeton Select Board during citizen input on Feb. 12 that her household did not receive one of five excise tax bills this year and later was sent the missing $8.75 bill by certified mail.
Toth said the certified-mail charge ($8.95) plus postage and staff time meant the town spent roughly $17.28 to collect $8.75, leaving the town “in the hole by at least $8.53” on that one bill by her estimate. She said she has raised the same annual issue in prior years and asked town staff to “do something to correct this.” Toth provided a handout the board placed in the meeting record.
Select Board members acknowledged the concern and asked that Toth’s handout be included in the meeting documents. Town staff did not offer a detailed accounting or an immediate remedy in the meeting minutes; the board asked that the issue be recorded in the meeting packet for follow up.
The topic arose during the public comment portion of the Feb. 12 meeting; no formal action or vote followed.
Board members asked staff to include Toth’s handout in the minutes and packet materials so the administration can follow up. The resident asked the town to provide proof that other excise bills were mailed as required.
The matter remains a citizen complaint and a request for staff follow-up; no policy, audit or new mailing protocol was adopted at the Feb. 12 meeting.
