Terri Collins

Terri Collins, town tax collector.
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Terri Collins, town tax collector.
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Property taxes are a major component of town revenue, producing $5.6 million in 2000, which is about 75% of all revenue the town takes in. At the center of this process is Tax Collector Terri Collins whose job is to help make the collection of the town taxes as smooth and efficient as possible.

Photo- Barkhamsted Tax Collector Terri Collins helping a resident with a tax issue.

Terri has been the town's tax collector since 1987.The position is a part time job- she is paid for 1,200 hours per year (about 23 hours per week) although she may actually work another 100 hours over the course of a year to cover special situations and periods of peak demand.She is helped by the assistant tax collector, Linda Fancher (a former Barkhamsted tax collector), who is paid for 520 hours a year.The tax collector's job is an elective position, and Terri, a Democrat, ran unopposed in the 2001 election.Terri is a life long resident of Barkhamsted and jokes about coming full circle in her life: she attended kindergarten at a classroom located in the basement of the town hall and now works in an office, guess where, in the basement of the same town hall building!

Mailing out the tax bills can be a stressful time in the tax collector's office.Barkhamsted contracts out the printing of the tax bills to Quality Data Services, which is the same firm that provides the computerized tax record system utilized by the town.The tax bills are printed and delivered to the town in mid-June.That only leaves about 2 weeks for Terri and Linda to stuff the envelopes and get them out before the July 1 deadline.
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Linda does much of the stuffing at her home while Terri covers the office.
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As taxpayers pay their bills, Terri and Linda record the payments on the computer.
...
But it does make more work for Terri because she is responsible for recording your fire district tax payment.Previously the fire district did this record keeping.

When August 1 comes and goes, the first wave of tax payments is pretty much complete.But even at this point Terri cannot take it easy.This is the time she really goes to work because this is when she deals with delinquent taxes.One of the most important jobs of the tax collector is to bring in as much as possible of the tax due to the town.Coming in with a good collection rate is critical if the town is going to meet its budget.Some taxes cannot be collected.Currently the collection rate is 98.5% which is the best (highest) it has been since Terri started in 1987.Even one tenth of a percent in the collection rate is significant, being worth almost $6,000 in tax revenue for the town.

Collecting some of the delinquent taxes is easy.In many cases, people have just forgotten the due date and a simple reminder from Terri clears up the problem.Paying your taxes late does trigger an interest fee of 1.5% per month (18% annual rate).Of course late taxpayers are not big fans of the interest charge which can lead to stressful situations in the Tax Collectors office.For example this season (winter 2002) when the second payment was due, some taxpayers waited until the last day to pay, but a few found themselves iced in due to some bad weather.They were unable to get out on February 1, the last day to avoid interest charges.They had a good excuse, but appeals to the Tax Collector are fruitless because Terri does not have the authority to forgo interest charges on late tax payments.
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"Tax sales" such as this are relatively rare, although Terri is currently working on a couple of situations that may lead to tax sales.These are something the town tries to avoid because of the time, costs (notifications, etc.) and the anxiety caused to all parties involved.

Terri enjoys the Tax Collector's job.She likes to work with numbers and enjoys the personal contact with residents.She is a certified Connecticut municipal tax collector, having completed a series of courses run by the University of Connecticut and the State Tax Collectors Association.In addition, every year she attends a three day seminar that helps collectors stay current.
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Terri has seen changes in the tax collection process over the 15 years she has occupied the position.The biggest change has been the conversion to a computer based system.When she first started in 1987, the process was done manually which involved posting taxpayer entries in big rate books.Interest charges and balancing were also done manually.Computers were introduced in 1990 and the system has been improved over time and is light years more efficient than the manual process.Managing delinquent bills is easier and collection rates have gone up.Another change is the number of hours that the tax collector's office is open to the public.The hours of service have expanded over the years from about 12 hours per week up to the current 20 hours (the Tax Collectors hours are currently 9:00 to 3:00 on Tuesday and Wednesday and 9:00 to 1:00 on Thursday and Friday).Another change Terri witnessed was the moving and expansion of the town hall building.

Terri Collins, town tax collector.

Terri Collins nominated by N. Bird and 2 nd by J. Lagassie.
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Results of the paper ballot show Rachelle Rebick, Kenneth Cyr, Norman Bird, Terri Collins and John Andryzeck as the five (5) Directors for the Fiscal Year beginning July 1, 2006

Terri Collins nominated by N. Bird and 2nd by J. Lagassie.
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Results of the paper ballot show Rachelle Rebick, Kenneth Cyr, Norman Bird, Terri Collins and John Andryzeck as the five (5) Directors for the Fiscal Year beginning July 1, 2006

A committee will be set up to discuss the above stated matters consisting of the following members: Matt Wilson, Larry Gillen, Peter North, Ken Cyr, Terri Collins and Norman Bird.

Terri Collins, town tax collector.

Two times a year, in July and January, many Barkhamsted residents engage in an activity that probably is not at the top of their list of favorite pastimes: they pay their town property tax bill.Anyone holding property in Barkhamsted, including real estate, motor vehicles or some types of personal property should be familiar with this obligation, although the bank may be handling it for you if you have a mortgage.It is part of a process that pays for town services from schools to roads to emergency response.Property taxes are a major component of town revenue, producing $5.6 million in 2000, which is about 75% of all revenue the town takes in. At the center of this process is Tax Collector Terri Collins whose job is to help make the collection of the town taxes as smooth and efficient as possible.

Photo- Barkhamsted Tax Collector Terri Collins helping a resident with a tax issue.

Terri has been the town's tax collector since 1987.The position is a part time job- she is paid for 1,200 hours per year (about 23 hours per week) although she may actually work another 100 hours over the course of a year to cover special situations and periods of peak demand.She is helped by the assistant tax collector, Linda Fancher (a former Barkhamsted tax collector), who is paid for 520 hours a year.The tax collector's job is an elective position, and Terri, a Democrat, ran unopposed in the 2001 election.Terri is a life long resident of Barkhamsted and jokes about coming full circle in her life: she attended kindergarten at a classroom located in the basement of the town hall and now works in an office, guess where ...town hall building!

Mailing out the tax bills can be a stressful time in the tax collector's office.Barkhamsted contracts out the printing of the tax bills to Quality Data Services, which is the same firm that provides the computerized tax record system utilized by the town.The tax bills are printed and delivered to the town in mid-June.That only leaves about 2 weeks for Terri and Linda to stuff the envelopes and get them out before the July 1 deadline.
...
Linda does much of the stuffing at her home while Terri covers the office.
...
As taxpayers pay their bills, Terri and Linda record the payments on the computer.
...
But it does make more work for Terri because she is responsible for recording your fire district tax payment.Previously the fire district did this record keeping.

When August 1 comes and goes, the first wave of tax payments is pretty much complete.But even at this point Terri cannot take it easy.This is the time she really goes to work because this is when she deals with delinquent taxes.One of the most important jobs of the tax collector is to bring in as much as possible of the tax due to the town.Coming in with a good collection rate is critical if the town is going to meet its budget.Some taxes cannot be collected.Currently the collection rate is 98.5% which is the best (highest) it has been since Terri started in 1987.Even one tenth of a percent in the collection rate is significant, being worth almost $6,000 in tax revenue for the town.

Collecting some of the delinquent taxes is easy.In many cases, people have just forgotten the due date and a simple reminder from Terri clears up the problem.Paying your taxes late does trigger an interest fee of 1.5% per month (18% annual rate).Of course late taxpayers are not big fans of the interest charge which can lead to stressful situations in the Tax Collectors office.For example this season (winter 2002) when the second payment was due, some taxpayers waited until the last day to pay, but a few found themselves iced in due to some bad weather.They were unable to get out on February 1, the last day to avoid interest charges.They had a good excuse, but appeals to the Tax Collector are fruitless because Terri does not have the authority to forgo interest charges on late tax payments.
...
"Tax sales" such as this are relatively rare, although Terri is currently working on a couple of situations that may lead to tax sales.These are something the town tries to avoid because of the time, costs (notifications, etc.) and the anxiety caused to all parties involved.

Terri enjoys the Tax Collector's job.She likes to work with numbers and enjoys the personal contact with residents.She is a certified Connecticut municipal tax collector, having completed a series of courses run by the University of Connecticut and the State Tax Collectors Association.In addition, every year she attends a three day seminar that helps collectors stay current.
...
Terri has seen changes in the tax collection process over the 15 years she has occupied the position.The biggest change has been the conversion to a computer based system.When she first started in 1987, the process was done manually which involved posting taxpayer entries in big rate books.Interest charges and balancing were also done manually.Computers were introduced in 1990 and the system has been improved over time and is light years more efficient than the manual process.Managing delinquent bills is easier and collection rates have gone up.Another change is the number of hours that the tax collector's office is open to the public.The hours of service have expanded over the years from about 12 hours per week up to the current 20 hours (the Tax Collectors hours are currently 9:00 to 3:00 on Tuesday and Wednesday and 9:00 to 1:00 on Thursday and Friday).Another change Terri witnessed was the moving and expansion of the town hall building.

"My son called me at around 12:30 (a.m.) to tell me and I was shocked," said Terri Collins, Barkhamsted's tax collector.
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The shock, Collins said, is even greater because many of the same teenagers who knew White also knew Stephanie Rae Berry, a 16-year-old Canton girl who was killed in a car crash in January on Route 8.
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"Many of them are still dealing with that and now this happens," Collins said."It's just so sad.They're all having a difficult time right now."

Terry Collins

Terry Collins

January 2002 - Terri Collins, town tax collector.