Ellsworth tax collector reports high recent collections but flags 2022 data issue

Tax collector Sue McLean told the Finance Committee she had collected nearly 93–94% of billed personal property taxes for 2024 and just over 96% for 2023, but that the 2022 figures appear anomalously low and require further investigation.

“I went three years back. For 2024, we've collected 93, almost 94% of the total of what's due. 23, we've collected 96 just a little over 96%,” McLean said. She reported the 2022 collection line looked like an outlier, noting that some payments did not carry over properly between the city’s financial systems (Munis and Trio). McLean said the issue appears to be a migration or posting problem that left payments unrecorded in the personal‑property ledger.

McLean said she will review and reconcile records across both systems and may bring a recommendation to the council on how to treat old, unlocatable accounts. Historically, the city has written off some very old accounts that staff cannot collect because owners cannot be located; McLean said she will return with options once she has completed reconciliations.

The collector described efforts that she said had improved collections: reminder notices, phone outreach, and working with taxpayers to arrange partial payments. McLean told the committee that small‑claims court actions had been used in the past but that outreach often produced better results than litigation.

Committee members asked about selling or writing off old claims and about whether differences in data posting could explain the low 2022 collection rate. McLean said she will continue the reconciliation work and follow up with the committee when she has corrected the ledger and quantified any uncollectible balances. No formal action was taken at the meeting.