East Windsor Township property owners should begin looking for their 2018-19 property tax bill, which was delayed in being mailed.
The mailing of the property tax bills was delayed because of changes to state aid to school districts and the late adoption of the state budget.
The third quarter property tax payment was due Aug. 1, but East Windsor officials are extending the deadline to Sept. 10 without penalty. If the bill is paid after that date, interest will accrue on the amount back to Aug. 1.
Meanwhile, property owners will see a small increase in their property tax rates and the amount owed. The total tax rate for 2018 is $3.33 per $100 of assessed valuation, compared to the 2017 tax rate of $3.31 per $100
For a home assessed at the township average of $258,691, the total tax bill for 2018 will be $8,614. Compared to the 2017 property tax bill, which was $8,575 and based on an average assessed value of $258,287, this is an increase of $39.
Breaking down the 2018 tax bill, the East Windsor Regional School District property tax rate of $2.08 per $100 of assessed valuation accounts for 62.58 percent of the total tax bill.
The municipal property tax rate of 43 cents, which is unchanged for the sixth consecutive year, accounts for 13.01 percent of the total tax bill. The garbage district tax of 12 cents, which is also unchanged, makes up 3.72 percent.
The combined Mercer County property tax rate of 69 cents makes up 20.69 percent of the tax bill. It includes the county government, the county library system and the county open space tax.
“The 2018 municipal budget again reflects a zero tax rate increase, while retaining the same service level. Thus, the municipal tax component has remained the same for six straight years,” Mayor Janice S. Mironov said.
Mironov pointed out that East Windsor serves as the tax collector for itself, the school district and the county. Although property owners make their checks payable to East Windsor, the township is responsible for distributing the money that is due to each governmental entity.