Tax Information
TAX BILLS
- ONE TAX BILL IS MAILED TO THE PROPERTY OWNER OF RECORD AS OF APRIL 1st EACH YEAR. This mailing usually goes out in August.
- If your taxes are paid by an escrow, it is your responsibility to provide the escrow with your tax information or a copy of your tax bill.
- Due dates are by 4 p.m. on the 15th of September, November, February and May, and there is no grace period.
- Legible federal post marks of the due date are accepted as on time.
- Interest on late installments is 1% per month.
- Notices for late installments are sent monthly.
- Unpaid taxes are delinquent after May 15th annually, and incur an immediate 8% penalty.
- Payments can be remitted by mail, made at the office, or left in the office drop box.
- The town does not accept credit cards, electronic payments, nor postdated checks.
BOLTON’S GRAND LIST, REAPPRAISAL & GRIEVANCES
Bolton’s Assessors, Ted Nelson and Amber Renshaw, have completed the re-appraisal of all of Bolton’s properties, using the statistical update method. The last reappraisal was completed in 2016, and COVID-19 interrupted the plans to complete the reappraisal in 2021. ALL of Bolton property owners will be mailed an individual written notice of value change (we anticipate the notice will be mailed on or around June 7th), which will include helpful FAQs about the reappraisal, and instructions on how to file a grievance (disagreeing with a property’s assessed value). Grievance forms are available on below (bottom of the page under
documents, “Request for Grievance 23-24”), or by calling the Town Office.
BOLTON’S 2022 EQUALIZATION STUDY RESULTS
Every year the State of Vermont Department of Taxes does an equalization study for each town in Vermont. Bolton’s results for 2022 are:
Education Grand List: $132,104,700
Equalized Education Grand List (EEGL): $175,039,542
Common Level of Aprraisal (CLA): 75.48%
Coefficient of Dispersion (COD): 17.92%
Education Grand List: Bolton’s total property value that is subject to the education property tax and serves as the numerator in the computation of the CLA.
Equalized Education Grand List (EEGL): Represents the Tax Department’s estimate of total fair market value of the education grand list in Bolton and serves as the denominator in the computation of the CLA.
Common Level of Appraisal (CLA): Determined by dividing the education grand list by the EEGL. A number over 100% indicates that property in your town is generally listed for more than its fair market value. A number less than 100% indicates that property is generally listed for less than its fair market value. A CLA below 85% or over 115% necessitates a reappraisal. The homestead and nonhomestead tax rates in your town will be adjusted by your town’s CLA.
Coefficient of Dispersion (COD): A measure of how fairly distributed the property tax is within your town. It is calculated as the average of the (absolute) difference of each sales ratio (list price divided by sales price) in the study from the median ratio. That result is then divided by the median ratio to get the COD. A high COD means that within your town many taxpayers are paying more than their fair share, and many are paying less than their fair share. A COD over 20% necessitates a reappraisal.