Waterford’s Tax Bill Mistake

A mistake by a mail company may mean hundreds of Waterford tax bills being sent to the Town of Stratford, according to Tax Collector Mark Burnham.

Waterford sends out a brochure, the July tax bill and a return envelope addressed to each year to all 19,000 Waterford taxpayers at the end of June. However, this year, the mail company Waterford used made a mistake, and sent up to 2,500 taxpayers a return envelope to the Town of Stratford, Burnham said.

The result is that many of the tax bills intended to go to Waterford will be sent to Stratford, with taxpayers not looking at the envelope and sending the bill. However, Burnham has been in contact with the Town of Stratford, and the town will have all the bills sent to Waterford, he said.

“We have had a couple already,” he said.

Residents have been calling the tax office regularly, and rightfully so, wondering about the return envelope, Burnham said. The mail company has apologized for the mistake, and is willing to work with the town to make it right, he said.

What To Do If Given A Stratford Envelope

Burnham asked all residents to check the return envelope they received in their July tax bill. If it is addressed to the Town of Stratford, throw it away, he said.

Even if one were to cross out the address on the Stratford envelope and write in the address for Waterford Town Hall, it still would go to Stratford, Burnham said. There is a bar code on the envelope, and the post office just reads the bar code, so it will be sent to the wrong place, he said.

Instead, taxpayers should send a new envelop to Town Hall, address 15 Rope Ferry Road, Burnham said. Either that, or taxpayers can pay in person in Town Hall, he said.  

This an increase of .98 mills over last year's rate of 18.79 mills. July taxes are due by the end of the month.