from the Municipal calendar: August 31


Begin Work on Tax Rate Recapitulation Sheet (to set tax rate for semi-annual bills)

Until the Tax Rate Recap Sheet is completed and certified by the Commissioner of Revenue, the community may not set a tax rate nor send out its property tax bills (unless it issues preliminary quarterly tax bills or requests from DOR the authority to send out preliminary tax notices if DOR requirements are met). Communities should begin gathering the information in enough time for the tax rate to be set and tax bills mailed by October 1. The Tax Rate Recap Sheet provides Mayors or Selectmen with a ready-made financial management tool because the town's most important financial management information is summarized on this form. The Mayor or Selectmen should review the Recap Sheet in preliminary form in order to understand the following financial information:


Page 1 (Tax Rate Summary) -The proposed tax levy should be compared to the levy limit. If a community does not levy to its limit, the remaining levy is referred to as excess levy capacity. Excess levy capacity is lost to the community for the current fiscal year although it will always remain in the levy limit calculation.


Page 2 (Amount To Be Raised) -This section includes appropriations and other local expenditures not appropriated. These include overlay deficits, revenue deficits, state and county charges, Cherry Sheet offset items, and the allowance for abatements and exemptions. By comparing this information to the prior year(s), any significant changes can be determined.

Page 3, Schedule A (Local Receipts Not Allocated) -By comparing these figures to prior year(s), the Mayor or Selectmen can determine any changes in these revenues.

Page 4, Schedule B (Certification of Appropriations and Source of Funding) -This section includes financial votes of City/Town Council or Town Meeting not previously reported on last year's recap.



posted by Jeff Bennett