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Treasurer-Collector outlines postage and advertising costs; tax-title advertising down from prior years
Summary
The treasurer-collector detailed increases in postage, lease payments and advertising costs tied to tax-title procedures and U.S. Postal Service rate rises, and said advertising counts have fallen from roughly 280 parcels to about 130 through outreach and reminder efforts.
The Treasurer-Collector told the committee the department’s FY26 budget is largely level-funded but includes increases tied to contractual lease payments for mailing equipment and higher postage rates.
The treasurer explained the city leases mailing equipment (Peyton & Beall or similar service vendor) rather than owning it outright; that lease is a multi-year contract and produced a $2,250 increase in lease payments reflected in the FY26 budget. Postage increases track a pending U.S. Postal Service rate rise projected for mid-July.
On tax-title advertising — a line item that the treasurer described as mandated for properties with delinquent taxes — the office said it has cut the number of parcels it advertises by using more targeted internal mailings and reminders. The treasurer reported advertising counts have fallen from about 280 parcels in earlier periods to roughly 100–150 in the most recent cycle; full-page newspaper costs for broad advertising can run in the thousands depending on circulation and number of parcels.
Why it matters: Advertising and postage are budget lines that affect how the city notifies owners of tax issues; councilors asked which media sources get used and how pricing is obtained. The treasurer said the office requests quotes from local publications and posts notices on the city website in addition to paid advertising.
Ending: The treasurer offered to provide the committee with a vendor/price breakdown for advertising and a fuller list of services that appear in the service-bureau and banking-fee lines upon request.
