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County staff report flat real-estate revenue, rising personal property and PSC decline
Summary
County Administrator Matthew Walker told supervisors real-estate tax revenue is flat while personal-property receipts have grown; he warned Public Service Corporation revenue is down because the county has not completed a recent reassessment, lowering utilities' assessment ratios and payments.
County Administrator Matthew L. Walker told the Middlesex County Board on Jan. 15 that overall revenue trends show a flat real‑estate tax base while personal property tax revenue "has experienced a healthy increase." He said the decline in Public Service Corporation (PSC) revenue is "directly related to the County's assessment ratio decreasing due to the lack of a recent reassessment," which reduces tax payments from utility companies.
Supervisors were warned that the PSC reduction is tied to assessment methodology rather than operational changes at utilities. Supervisor William A. (Bill) Harris asked whether the county receives money from electric bills; Walker responded that PSC revenue "includes taxes paid by electric, telephone, and cable companies on infrastructure and certain personal property" and that water utilities are generally not classified under PSC for tax purposes, though he was uncertain about privately owned water utilities.
