LAWRENCE: Property tax bills being mailed, due Sept. 4

By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
   Township property owners can begin checking their mailboxes for their 2012-13 property tax bills, which are being mailed out a few weeks later than usual, according to township officials.
   The delay in sending out the tax bills also means the deadline for paying property taxes, without a penalty, has been extended to Sept. 4, Municipal Manager Richard Krawczun said.
   Payments received after Sept. 4 will be assessed interest from Aug. 1.
   The mailing of the tax bills was delayed while township officials waited for state certification of state aid. Tax bills are usually due Aug. 1, Nov. 1, Feb. 1 and May 1.
   The property tax is made up of three components — the county, the municipal and school district taxes. The total tax rate for 2012 is $4.48 per $100 of assessed value, which increased 20 cents over the 2011 tax rate of $4.29.
   The municipal tax rate increased by 5 cents, from 84 cents to 89 cents. The municipal open space tax, which was approved by voters several years ago, remains unchanged at 3 cents.
   The school district tax rate went up from $2.32 to $2.35.
   The Mercer County tax rate increased from 95 cents in 2011 to $1.06 for 2012. The Mercer County open space tax is unchanged at 4 cents, and the Mercer County library tax is 11 cents.
   Municipal Manager Richard Krawczun pointed out that the school district property tax makes up 52 percent of the total tax bill.
   The Mercer County tax accounts for 24 percent of the bill, and the county library tax and open space tax make up 2 percent and 1 percent, respectively, of the tax bill.
   The municipal property tax makes up 21 percent of the tax bill.
   Meanwhile, the owner of a house in the Kingsbrook development off Cold Soil Road, assessed at $346,870, would pay $15,574, which is an increase of $694 over the 2011 tax bill of $14,8880.
   The owner of a house in the Pine Knoll Drive/Pin Oak Drive neighborhood assessed at $212,252 would pay $9,508, which is an increase of $403 over the 2011 bill of $9,105.
   And the owner of a house in the Colonial Heights neighborhood, off Brunswick Pike near the Brunswick Circle, would pay $4,251, or $180 more than the 2011 tax bill of $4,071.