SCHOOL TAX COLLECTION
Introduction
Shelby Rose, School Tax Collector, and Deputy Bonny Boles will be collecting School Taxes at the Lansing Central School District Office located in the new upper wing of the Elementary School at 284 Ridge Rd, Lansing, NY. They welcome any inquiries pertaining to collection policies as well as general tax information. They also offer assistance to residents, realtors, lending institutions, title companies and other entities that may require tax information. The tax roll is available for public inspection.
The Tax Office is responsible for the collection of school taxes for approximately 3530 parcels. All powers and duties of this office, as well as collection procedures, are statutory and defined in the New York State Real Property Tax Law.
Hours of Collection
Beginning September 4, 2012 through October 1, 2012:
Monday – Thursday – 7:30AM-3:00PM
Friday – 7:30 AM-Noon
October 2, 2012 through November 1, 2012:
Monday – Friday – 7:30 AM-Noon
Closed Holidays
Please call ahead for Handicap Assessable entry
Payments may be mailed to:
LANSING SCHOOL TAX COLLECTOR
Attn: Shelby Rose
284 Ridge Rd
Lansing NY 14882
For more information phone# 607-533-8771
School Tax Collection
- The Lansing School Tax Office collects school taxes for the Lansing Central School District.
- School Tax Bills are mailed by August 31st.
- September 4- October 1 Payable with No Penalty,
- October 2- November 1 Payable with 2% penalty.
Payments can be made by check or cash and are accepted in person at the Tax Office which is located in the Lansing Central School District Office located in the new upper wing of the Elementary School at 284 Ridge Rd Lansing Payments can also be made by mail to: Shelby Rose, Lansing School Tax Collector 284 Ridge Rd Lansing, NY 14882. Please do not send cash through the mail.
School tax collection ends November 1st. Taxes unpaid at that time are turned over to the county of Tompkins to be re-levied onto the January 1st Town and County tax bill.
To assist our elderly and disabled residents, third party notification of tax bills is offered. Property owners who are disabled or 65 years of age or older, and own a one, two, or three family home, may designate an adult consenting third party to receive duplicate copies of tax bills and notices of unpaid taxes. In order to receive this service, one must fill out a third party notification form RP-923, which is available at Tompkins County Department of Assessment, 128 E. Buffalo St Ithaca, NY 14850 607-274-5517.
Taxes in EscrowMany residents have their taxes escrowed with lending institutions. The county updates bank codes prior to each billing cycle. It is the lending intuition’s responsibility to notify the county of any additions or deletions of accounts. Many banks contract with Tax Service Organizations (TSOs), which are agencies that service escrow accounts for banks. These organizations provide us with listings of their customers and their identifying account numbers. In the event that a resident receives a bill that should have gone to the bank, it is still the responsibility of the bank to call for that bill. If the bill should have gone to the homeowner, but went to the bank, it is the homeowner’s responsibility to know the taxes are due. Please call our office immediately and we will issue you a duplicate bill. Failure to mail a statement or the failure of a property owner to receive a statement will not affect the validity of the taxes or interest prescribed by law. (New York State Real Property Tax Law 922). If you feel you should have received a bill, but have not during the first week of September, please contact this office for a duplicate bill.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. I never received my bill, or received it late, do I still have to pay the penalty?
Yes, the failure to mail a statement or the failure of a property owner to receive a statement will not affect the validity of the taxes or interest prescribed by law (New York State Real Property Tax Law 922). In addition, neither the Receiver of Taxes nor any other official has legal authority to waive statutory penalty charges. These are fixed by the Real Property Tax Law. If they are waived, the collecting officer will be personally responsible. As all records are audited by State examiners, there is absolutely no discretion in this matter. The constitution and the law of the State mandate the procedure.
2. If I mail my payment on the due date do I have to pay a penalty?
New York State Real Property Tax Law 925, provides as follows:
“Payments of taxes by mail, when enclosed in a postpaid wrapper (envelope) properly addressed to the appropriate collecting officer and is deposited in a post office or official depository under the exclusive care and custody of the United States Post Office shall, upon delivery, be deemed to have been made to such officer on the date of the United States Postmark on such wrapper. The provisions of this section shall not apply in the case of postmarks not made by the United States Post Office."
A postage meter postmark is not a postmark by the United States Post Office and, therefore, is not within the provisions of Real Property Tax Law 925. Payments can not be deemed timely because of a postage meter postmark date on an envelope containing a tax payment (Opinion. New York State Comptroller. 69-170).
If taxes are not received until after the due date, they are not paid until after the due date unless they fall squarely within the provisions of section 925 of the Real Property Tax Law, and the penalty must be added and collected. No town official or employee can waive the penalty (Opinion. New York State Comptroller. 68-626).
If the postmark does not appear on such wrapper or the postmark is illegible such payment shall be deemed to have been made on the date of delivery to such collecting officer
3. Do you accept payment with credit cards?
No
4. Can I pay my taxes in installments?
Yes, The Lansing Central School District offers the installment option. The 1st installment is due by October 1st Payable to Shelby Rose, Lansing School Tax Collector. The full address is listed below. This payment is one-half of your total bill and includes a service charge of 2.5% of the total tax bill due. The 2nd installment is equal to one-half of your total bill and is due by March 1st payable to:
Tompkins County, Division of Finance
125 E Court St Ithaca, NY 14850
607-274-5545
5. Can I pre-pay my taxes?
No, the warrant constitutes the mantle of authority for the collecting officer to receive the taxes. Therefore, the warrant must be regarded as the instrument which empowers the collecting officer to begin the collection. Collection authority can not begin prior to the date of the warrant.
6. What if the Due Date falls on a weekend?
Real Property Tax Law, section 925-a, expressly covers such a situation by providing as follows:
“Extension of time for collection, not withstanding any contrary provisions of this chapter, or any general, special or local law, code or charter, if the final date for collection of taxes, at a lesser prescribed penalty interest rate shall fall on a Saturday, Sunday or Public Holiday, an extension for the collection of taxes shall automatically be in effect until the first business day following such date and the date for paying over due taxes shall be extended to the following day”.
7. What is the two percent cap on star savings?
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| Julie Kephart, Tax Collector Lansing Central School District c/o TST BOCES 555 Warren Road Ithaca, NY 14850 |
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| Telephone Number:
607-257-1551 Ext. 323
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| Email: Lansingtax@tstboces.org |
When the Tax Collector is on the phone or away from her desk, the calls will rollover to the Lansing School District. Copies of bills, receipts and tax information can be obtained by using this phone number throughout the year.
