AUBURN — Taxpayers should begin seeing their bills from the city arrive Wednesday, city officials say.

Property tax bills were mailed Monday from a facility in Hudson, Mass., Finance Director Tracy Roy said.

“Sometimes the mail is fast, and sometimes it isn’t,” Roy said. “I’d expect them to begin arriving after about two days.”

The first tax payments are due Sept. 15. The final payment is due March 15; the city begins charging interest on outstanding bills on that day.

City Manager Glenn Aho said the bills will represent an increase for most taxpayers. The property tax rate increased by 99 cents, from $18.31 to $19.30 per $1,000 of property value. That will mean an average tax increase of $125 for homes valued between $100,000 and $150,000.

The state’s decision to reduce the Homestead Exemption tax break from $13,000 to $10,000 will also increase taxpayers’ costs. Under the exemption, taxpayers can remove $10,000 from their assessed property value.

“By removing that $3,000 exemption, that’s a $57 increase in the average tax bill, right there,” Aho said. He blamed the rest of the increase on $2.7 million in cuts in state aid for roads, schools and state revenue sharing.

“Had this been a normal year, we would have seen our tax rate decrease to $17.90,” Aho said. “Unfortunately, the good works of the city of Auburn have been eclipsed by the state budget shortfall.”

In Lewiston, Treasurer Paul Labrecque said tax bills were mailed July 22.

“We normally get them out in early August, so this was a little early,” Labrecque said.

staylor@sunjournal.com

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