Town of Exeter, New Hampshire

Finance, Property Tax, Water, Sewer & Accounting Department


Staff Directory:

Doreen Ravell, CPA, Finance Director, dravell@town.exeter.nh.us

Don Brabant, Town Treasurer

Lorrie Maker, Deputy Tax Collector/Water & Sewer Clerk, lmaker@town.exeter.nh.us

Helen Perrier, Accounting Clerk, hperrier@town.exeter.nh.us

Address/Location:
Finance, Tax & Accounting Office
10 Front Street
Exeter, NH 03833

Regular Business Hours (Monday-Friday):
8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Phone: 603-778-0591
Email: ptax@town.exeter.nh.us

Primary Responsibilities:

Finance, Payroll, A/P and A/R:

Process payroll and accounts payable warrants for the Town each week;

Administer all deposits of revenue and post same to the Town's revenue ledger:

Reconcile the Town's cash accounts with the general ledger;

Approve purchase orders in accordance with Town purchasing policy;

Collections:

Accept water, sewer, and property tax payments;

Coordinate and oversee the tax lien and deeding process with the Town Manager/Tax Collector;

Issue all property tax, water and sewer bills; manage and process quarterly water/sewer billings;

Provide customer service on tax issues, water/sewer issues, and banking issues.


Frequently Asked Questions:

Q: My property tax bill shows a Boston address in the window.  Why?

A: The Town uses a lockbox service through its local bank, Citizen's Bank, to improve cash flow.  Using a lockbox means payments reach our bank accounts faster.  The lockbox service is located in Boston.

Q: My property tax bill due July 1st only shows half the current tax rate.  Why?
A: Because the first half bill l is estimated.  This is consistent with the NH RSA's and most other New Hampshire municipalities.

Q: How much of my property tax bill goes to pay for local education?
A: About 2/3.   This is shown on your property tax bill as the local school tax rate and the state education tax rate.  Add the two to get the allocation.  The total current property tax rate is $22.62 per 1,000 of assessed valuation.

Q: Where does the rest of the property tax bill go?
A: To the Town and the county.  The current county tax rate is 1.02 cents per 1,000.  The Town share is $6.63 per thousand.  The Town tax rate includes veterans credits ($366,000 in 2010) and overlay for abatements ($137,152 in 2009).

Q: What factors influence the tax rate?
A: The tax rate is influenced primarily by three things: budgets, revenues, and property values.  Increases or decreases in any of the categories can influence the tax rate.

Q: How much has the Town lost in revenues in recent years?
A: The Town's investment income has dropped from a high of $360,000 in 2006 to approximately $15,000 annually.  In addition, the Town was receiving $284,000 in general revenue sharing from the State of New Hampshire until 2008.  The loss of this funding has an annual tax rate impact of .18 cents, or has added $54 to the average $300,000 home property tax bill.

Q: When do I get to vote on the budget?
A: The Town budget is voted on each year under RSA 40:13 on the second Tuesday in March.  The deliberative session to discuss the Town budget happens each year on a Saturday, either the last Saturday in January or the first Saturday in February.