Collector warns of mounting tax‑title costs; advisory to review using available advisory funds

The town collector told the advisory committee she currently has roughly 50 seriously delinquent tax accounts that may need tax‑title action and estimated the one‑time filing and posting costs for those accounts.

The collector said filing a lien with the registry of deeds costs about $105 per parcel and that constable posting fees run roughly $40–$75 per address depending on vendor. She estimated that filing and posting for 45–50 parcels could cost several thousand dollars; using a conservative worst‑case calculation (45 filings at $105 plus the high end of a $75 posting fee) she estimated roughly $8,100 in upfront costs to place liens and preserve the town’s priority position.

Advisory members noted an advisory account balance of about $49,000 and asked the collector to prepare exact figures and options for funding the filings (a reserve transfer or line‑to‑line transfer). The committee scheduled a focused review for the April 16 advisory meeting to decide a funding approach and asked staff to coordinate with the town administrator and treasurer.

Why it matters: Filing liens protects the town’s ability to recover unpaid taxes by becoming the first lienholder ahead of other claims; however, the filing costs can be a material, near‑term outlay for a small department.

What’s next: The collector will provide a short memo with a firm estimate of costs and proposed funding options for the April 16 advisory meeting.