Cortlandville Tax Collector

Kristin E. Rocco-Petrella, RMC

Office Hours:

Monday - Friday

9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

**Open Saturday, January 27, 2024 from 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. for the collection of taxes.

 

We encourage you to make payments by mail (postmark date accepted), or by utilizing our 24-Hour drop box located at the Main Entrance of the Town Hall.  You may also make payments online by credit/debit card or echeck utilizing the new online payment system available through taxlookup.net and MuniciPAY.  CLICK HERE to view and/or pay your tax bill online. *Additional fees apply.

 

The Town Clerk/Collector is responsible for the collection of property taxes. All powers and duties of this office, as well as collection procedures, are statutory and found in the New York State Real Property Tax law.

My deputies and I welcome any inquires pertaining to collection policies as well as general tax information. We offer our assistance to residents, realtors, lending institutions, title companies, and other entities that may require tax information.

Duties of the Tax Collector:

The Town of Cortlandville is a town of the second class. Collecting officers in a second class town are known as Collectors of Taxes. This is a four-year elected position. Before entering upon the duties of the office, it is required that all tax collecting officers take and subscribe the Constitutional Oath of Office. Once the Collector has taken the oath, he/she becomes the insurer and guarantor of all moneys, securities, papers and records that the law provides shall be in his or her custody.

The Collector of Taxes collects the Town and County property taxes in January. The bills are mailed in late December of each year. The tax bill covers the period of January 1st - December 31st. Payments can be made upon receipt of bill through January 31st without penalty.

Starting February 1, there is a 1% penalty; fees for March are 2% and fees for April are 3%. If taxes are unpaid as of April 30th, a second notice of taxes due is processed. An additional charge of two dollar ($2.00) will be levied and become a part of the amount due. After May 31st, all unpaid taxes are returned to the Cortland County Treasurer, 60 Central Ave., Cortland, NY 13045. Please contact the Treasurer at 607 753-5070, for dollar amounts.

The Property Tax bill contains levies for the Town, County, Fire District, and any special districts. In addition, if school, village or water bills are unpaid, they will be re-levied on to the property tax bill. If a previous owner was receiving an exemption, a payback amount may also appear in the bill which covers the time period that the new property owner enjoyed a previous owner's exemption to which they are not entitled. Please contact this office if there are any questions regarding the amounts due.

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, using form RP-923, which is available in our office or online here.

Many residents have their taxes escrowed with lending institutions. The town updates bank codes prior to each billing cycle. It is the lending institution's responsibility to notify the county, assessor and tax collector of any additions or deletions of accounts. Many banks contract with the Tax Service Organizations (TSOs), which are agencies that service escrow accounts for these banks. These organizations provide us with a listing of their customers and their identifying account numbers. The larger organizations do this primarily by computer disc. In the event that a resident received 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 that the taxes are due. Please call our office immediately and we will issue you a duplicate bill. 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 Real Property Tax Law 922). If you should have received a bill, but have not during the first week of January, please contact this office for a duplicate bill.

Staff Contacts

Name Title Phone
Kristin Rocco-Petrella, RMC Tax Collector (607) 756-5725 Email: townclerk@cortlandville.org
Abbi Albro Deputy Town Clerk (607) 756-5725
Chavonne LaPlant (607) 756-5725
Abbi Albro (607) 756-5725