LEWISTON – Property tax bills should begin arriving in mailboxes by Aug. 15, about a month later than usual, according to city officials.

The decision to scrap the city’s property revaluation in May caused the delay, Assessor Joe Grube said Friday.

“Everything we had done at that point was in preparation for the revaluation,” Grube said. “When we rolled it back, it was like starting over.”

The city began working on the revaluation in June 2005. It would have decreased property taxes for businesses but increased them for most homeowners, in spite of budget cuts.

City staff had started meeting with angry residential property taxpayers when councilors decided to pull the plug. They called Maine’s property tax system broken and urged legislators to make some tax-reform efforts.

Grube said the tax bills are sent out as a courtesy to Lewiston property owners. It is not required by law.

Bills are usually mailed in mid-July to give taxpayers a chance to prepare. The first payment is due Sept. 15. The second is due in the spring of 2007.

“The amount people owe should not change drastically from what they owed last year, because of the council’s decision,” he said. The city’s property tax rate actually decreased slightly compared to last year, when it was $27.35 per $1,000 of value. The new rate is $26.65 per $1,000 of value.

“Unless they took out a building permit for some work, their bill might actually go down,” Grube said.

Staff should begin mailing the bills next week, according to Treasurer Paul Labrecque.