Lines in city halls to pay property tax bills may not be a thing of the past but they are going away, according to government officials in both cities.

Final installments for property tax bills in both cities are due Monday, March 17. People in the tax offices in Lewiston and Auburn said they’re especially busy as last-minute payments come in.

But more taxpayers are choosing to pay their taxes in advance or by mail, rather than dropping them off at City Hall in person.

“It used to be, when the middle of March rolled around, you had lines out the door,” said Lewiston Treasurer Paul Labrecque. “Now you look out, there’s not a soul at the windows.”

Lewiston has 11,700 property taxpayers and about 34 percent pay property taxes regularly as part of their monthly mortgage payments. Banks and finance companies hold that money in escrow until taxes are due.

Assistant Tax Collector Nancy Mennealy said those escrow payments have been coming in by the hundreds in the past week.

“One bank, like Wells Fargo, will pay the property taxes for all of their customers at once, – 400 or 500 bills at a time,” she said.

Auburn Tax Collector Betty Griebel said escrow payments make up about 45 percent of Auburn’s 9,429 real estate bills.

But she and her staff have noticed an increase in budget payments for Auburn taxpayers. Those are individual taxpayers who agree to pay a portion of their total bill each month. The city had 75 more people budget their taxes this year compared to last year, she said.

“It has to do with the economy, and with property taxes over all,” Griebel said. “People did see an increase in their bills but they’re trying to find a way to spread things out and make it easier. They have a lot of pride, and they want to pay what they owe.”