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Town apologizes for alarming notice sent to hundreds of taxpayers |
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Wednesday, 11 February 2009 |
BY ABBY FOX
More than 600 residents were taken aback last week when they received a notice from the town stating if they didn’t pay their taxes owed, their real estate would be advertised and sold in public auction. The letters were titled: “Official notice of proposed advertisement and sale of property for non-payment of taxes and/or assessments.”
The notice didn’t say how much residents owed, whether $100 or $1,000; or what it was for, such as a late payment on property taxes or a fire district bill. It read: “Said real estate will be advertised on the 16th day of April, 2009 in The Pendulum and the Kent County Daily Times and will be sold at public auction on the 7th day of May, 2009 at 10 a.m. Local Time, in the Council Chamber, Town Hall, 125 Main Street, East Greenwich, Rhode Island, if said taxes, with interest, costs and expenses have not been paid.”
The notice, which has Finance Director Kathy Raposa’s name on it, also says people must pay with “cash or bank check only!”
When residents started calling the town asking questions or objecting, Raposa said, she didn’t know what they were talking about, until she got a copy of the notice, which had been mailed without her authorization by RI Tax Titles.
“It wasn’t approved by the town,” Town Manager Bill Sequino said. “The town didn’t see the letter before it went out.”
Raposa said it was “terrible,” that “I don’t operate that way,” and added that apology letters would reach the residents by the early part of this week.
In July, Raposa took over the finance director position from Tom Mattos. She said she told the company working with the town on taxes that “I was busy,” and they offered to help send out notices regarding unpaid taxes – but they sent off this particular letter without her approval. Normally, Sequino said, both the finance director and the town manger would have reviewed a notice to residents informing them they owed taxes – but that didn’t happen this time
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 18 February 2009 )
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