Hamilton
HAMILTON — The lead-up to the township’s tax sale on Dec. 14 has left some residents grumbling.
Monday was the last day residents could pay off any late municipal or sewer tax payments before being subject to a $100 advertising fee and the potential embarrassment of seeing their name listed under a tax sale notice in local newspapers.
Under the tax sale, unpaid tax liabilities are sold to third parties that make the payments and then collect interest and principal from the homeowners. But some property owners say they didn’t receive notice of the late payments and Monday’s deadline until the weekend, leaving them scrambling to get down to the municipal buildings and pay on time. Others thought “tax sale” meant the township was selling off their property.
“I didn’t open it up til 4 p.m. on Saturday and it tells me to pay by 4 o’clock on Monday,” said resident Vincent Graziano, whose wife waited in a long line Monday to pay their late sewer bill. “Pay by (Monday) afternoon at 4 p.m. when I’m at work to avoid being in the newspaper?”
The sewer bill was $156 and went unpaid after it got lost in a drawer, Graziano said.
His wife went to pay, but was turned away because the township is accepting only certified checks, cash and money orders for late payments.
“Why not make it easier?” Graziano said. “We want to pay.”
Another resident, who asked not to be named, said he received a tax sale notice despite the fact he paid his taxes before the Nov. 11 cutoff. The township told him notices must have been sent out before his check was processed.
“They were fairly responsive in getting back to us, I’ll give them that, but it seems like one hand doesn’t know what the other’s doing over there,” he said. “I’ll be really ticked off if in fact my name shows up (in the paper).”
John Barrett, Hamilton’s chief financial officer, said the township did see a large number of residents show up on Monday, contributing to some long lines and confusion. The township generally holds its tax sale every June, but had to switch to December this year after changing to a calendar-year budget. The date change seemed to confuse some, said Barrett, as did notices with the phrase “tax sale.”
“The reality is this: Folks don’t generally understand the tax sale process,” he said. “The emotional side of seeing a tax sale notice is something that has a vitriolic reaction for some people because they’re not informed as to what the process is. They think we’re selling their house.”
Barrett said much of the rush has tapered off. By Tuesday, there was only one person waiting in line by the time the tax collector’s office opened.
Contact Erin Duffy at eduffy@njtimes.com or (609) 989-5723