Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Tax Bill Delivery topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Resident tells council dozens of Paterson tax bills were returned to city hall; postmaster to investigate
Summary
During public comment at the Feb. 11 special meeting, a speaker said returned property tax bills labeled "unable to deliver" were collected at city hall and that the postmaster planned to redeliver them; the speaker said she learned the Feb. 10 tax due date had already passed and urged the municipal administration to investigate.
A member of the public told the Paterson City Council during public comment on Feb. 11 that a large number of property tax bills had been returned to city hall marked "unable to deliver," and that the postmaster visited to collect the returned trays and said she would attempt redelivery.
The commenter said she has lived at the same address for 40 years and that her tax bill was returned as "unable to forward." She said the postmaster — whom she identified by first name as Lisa — came to city hall, picked up a tray of return-to-sender tax bills and said she would ensure they were delivered on Saturday. The commenter said she reminded the postmaster that the tax-payment deadline had been Monday, Feb. 10, and that she had not received a bill until last week when city staff noticed her name and brought her copy up to the council chambers.
Why it matters: If property tax bills are delayed or returned to sender, taxpayers may miss due dates or be unaware of amounts owed. The commenter urged the business administrator and mayor's office to investigate and asked residents who encounter the same problem to contact the tax collector.
The commenter said the postmaster told city staff she would investigate why a large number of bills were returned and would attempt delivery; the commenter did not provide a count of affected addresses or an estimate of potential fiscal impact. The transcript records no response from city administration during the special meeting about next steps or changes to payment deadlines.
The same speaker also promoted a Craig Redmond drum clinic at the Paterson museum as an upcoming weekend event and mentioned Black History Month programming. Those event announcements were presented as community information rather than formal agenda items.
The council proceeded to its scheduled votes after public comment and adjourned the special meeting shortly after the roll-call votes.
