How Much Will Your First-Quarter Tax Bill Be?

Wayland residents should receive their first quarter Fiscal Year 2014 tax bills by the end of the week.

An announcement from Town Administrator Fred Turkington said the bills were mailed on June 30 and anyone who hasn't received a bill by the end of the week should contact the collector’s office at 508-358-3633 to request a bill.

When bills do arrive, residents will find they contain an 8.3 percent increase over the prior year's bills, which is the estimated amount needed to support appropriations adopted by Annual Town Meeting, the announcement reads. 

"The size of the increase should not be unexpected, as the previous year's rate was reduced by a similar percentage for one year when Town Meeting chose to use 'free cash' - the Town's undesignated reserve - to fund the budget," the announcement explains.

Wayland operates on a quarterly tax payment cycle, with the first-quarter payment due Aug. 1 of each year. Under this cycle, the first two payments are estimated, "each based on one quarter of the net taxes assessed in the prior year plus the anticipated tax rate increase as voted at the Annual Town Meeting this past spring," the announcement reads.

The state Department of Revenue will certify the tax rate in mid-December and the final two bils of the fiscal year -- due Feb. 1, 2014 and May 1, 2014 -- will include an adjustment to the estimated payments already made.

Wayland's quarterly tax due dates are Aug. 1, Nov. 1, Feb. 1 and May 1 of each year.