By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
Montgomery Township residents should begin looking for their 2017-18 property tax bills, which have been delayed because of changes in state funding.
The property tax bills were sent out this week. The mailing was delayed because of the late adoption of the state budget and changes to state aid to the Montgomery Township public school district.
Because the property tax bills were late in being mailed out, Montgomery Township officials are extending the due date for payment to Aug. 30. The bill would have been due Aug. 1, with a 10-day grace period.
If the Aug. 1 tax bill is not paid by Aug. 30, however, interest on the unpaid balance will accrue. The tax bill may be paid now through the township’s online payment portal, with a 2.99 percent convenience fee for credit cards, but no fee if it is paid by e-check.
Meanwhile, the total tax rate for 2017 is $2.97 per $100 of assessed value. This means the owner of a house assessed at the township average of $499,061 will pay $14,862.04 in property taxes.
Of that amount, the Montgomery Township municipal property tax is $1,931.37 and the municipal open space tax is $199.62. This is based on the municipal property tax rate of 38 cents and the open space tax of 4 cents.
The Montgomery Township public school district property tax is $10,325.57, based on a tax rate of $2.06 per $100 of assessed value.
The Somerset County portion of the tax bill is $2,405.48 for a house assessed at the township average. This is based on a tax rate of 48 cents per $100 of assessed value.
Breaking down the tax bill, Montgomery Township municipal government accounts for 13 percent of the total tax bill, plus 1.3 percent of the total tax bill that is dedicated for open space.
The Montgomery Township public school district accounts for 69.4 percent of the total bill, and Somerset County’s share is 16.1 percent.
Although property owners write their checks to Montgomery Township, the township serves as the tax collector. It distributes the money that is due to each governmental entity.
