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Board discusses tax-billing schedule and how Australian ballots affect public information meetings
Summary
Board members explored splitting tax bills into two payments and discussed how mail-in (Australian) ballots for a bond could limit in-person discussion at town meeting; staff warned splitting bills would require borrowing and increase costs.
A board member asked whether tax bills could be split into two payments (for example, November and May). Staff explained that, because of assessor timelines and the school-billing schedule, moving to a twice-yearly bill would require the town to borrow to cover the gap between collections and school payments and would therefore be costly.
Separately, the Chair and members discussed the procedural implications if a bond question were decided by Australian (mail-in) ballot: mail ballots must be mailed to all voters and that can limit the ability to discuss the bond at a traditional town meeting. Members stressed the need for proactive outreach — postcards, informational meetings or mailed materials — so voters are not surprised by a mailed ballot for a major bond that will affect water bills or taxes.
Why it matters: changes to billing cycles affect town cash flow and interest costs; ballot format affects how the town communicates about major capital spending to voters.
