Office of the Town Clerk
Town Clerk
Jessie Townsend
Town Clerk, Tax Collector, Records Management Officer
Elected term: 1/1/24-12/31/27
Services
Click each for more information
Hours
Monday –Thursday, 8am – 2pm
Appointments welcome after hours
Please note SUMMER HOURS: June 1 – Sept 1 Mon, Tues, Thurs: 8am – 2pm
Wed, Friday: Closed
Address
Caroline Town Hall Annex
2668 Slaterville Road
Slaterville Springs, NY 14881
Contact
(607) 539-6400 ext. 1
clerk@townofcaroline.org
Information
Property owners can pay either the full amount (without penalty) or the 1st Installment amount (includes a fee) on or before January 31st of each year. 1st installment payments cannot be accepted after January 31st be paid online. Only full payment can be paid online.
If you will be away during tax season, please notify us in early December so that we can pull your bill and send it to you at your temporary address or by email. Mail forwarding does not guarantee that you will receive it in a timely manner. Remember, you can look up your tax bill online anytime beginning January 1.
According to state law, property owners are responsible for paying their taxes whether they receive a bill or not.
Penalties
After January 31, a 1% penalty is added to the amount due.
After February 28/29, a 2% penalty is added to the amount due.
After April 1, the town no longer collects payments. All payments made or postmarked after April 1 should be sent to Tompkins County Finance Department. Unpaid tax bills after April 1 will accrue a 5% penalty plus interest at the rate of 1%.
Town and County Taxes
Payments in Person
Make checks payable to Town of Caroline Tax Collector. Payments may be made by check or cash in person, mailed to P.O. Box 136, Slaterville Springs, NY 14881, or left in the secure drop box at the Town Hall Offices building. Do not mail cash. In-person collection hours are Monday-Thursday from 8am-2pm and on Saturdays (only during January) from 9am to 12pm.
Be sure that you have paid the correct amount for the due date. We can only accept exact amounts.
Please include a phone number with your payment. If there are any errors with your payment, we want to notify you as soon as possible to help you avoid late fees/penalties.
Be sure that your check is made out correctly, i.e. make sure that the numeric and written total match. The bank will return checks where those lines do not match.
Don't forget to sign your check! This happens more frequently than you’d think!
Receipts are available by request, or access online.
Pay tax bills online (Full payments are accepted – you CANNOT pay 1st Installment online)
Access bills/receipts (Current year or past years)
Tips:
Search by owner name, use last name only
When entering in information, please enter only ONE field. The program seems to get confused with too much information.
Tompkins County Tax Directory-
Town of Caroline until March 31; Tompkins Finance Dept. after March 31
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Any Tompkins Trust Company, or mail to: Ithaca City School District, Tompkins Trust Company, PO 6533 Ithaca, NY 14851
Tax Office
Phone: 607-274-2217
Email: TAXES@ICSD.k12.ny.us
You may also view current or past bills at www.taxlookup.net/index.aspx?county=tompkins
Frequently Asked Questions
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The deadline to pay your bill without a late penalty is February 1st (payments must be postmarked by this date if paying by mail). PLEASE NOTE that if you are paying your bill through a bill-pay program, arrange your payment several days before the due date. These checks arrive from banks without a postmark, so they will be counted as received on the day they arrive.
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This is collected by Tompkins County to help cover the cost of its solid waste program, among other things. Check it out HERE
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Tax Exemptions are applied for through the Tompkins County Assessment Office. You can contact them by calling 607-274-5517 or visit their website for more information: https://www.tompkinscountyny.gov/assessment/forms Please note that there are deadlines for filing exemptions with NYS – must be filed by March 1st to take effect the following year.
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Yes, if you have your mail forwarded through the post office you should receive your bill. Remember, you can access your tax bill online as of January 1 each year.
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No. According to New York State law, property owners are responsible for paying their taxes whether they receive a bill or not. Please remember that Town & County taxes are due in January each year. If you don’t receive your bill by January 14, please call the Tax Collector. You can also visit: https://egov.basgov.com/Caroline/ to access current or past years tax bills/receipts.
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If you feel that your assessment is not reflective of fair market value, you do have the right to ask for an informal review or file a complaint with the County Board of Assessment Review. Please note that there is a deadline for filing. Interested in learning more about the Tompkins County Assessment Department, read their brochure!
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You should receive a receipt or statement from your mortgage company. In the event you do not, please call or email the Town Clerk or find it online.
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Tax bills are generated and printed at the Tompkins Assessment Office in early/mid-December, so it’s very possible that new ownership is not reflected on the bill. Although this typically works out the following tax cycle, the bill will likely be sent to the mailing address that’s assigned to that parcel. The new owner should call the Clerk’s Office if they did not receive it or if it is sent to the seller.