Lawrence Township property owners should begin checking their mailboxes for their 2018-19 property tax bill, which is set to be mailed by the end of July.
The mailing of the tax bills has been delayed because of changes in state aid to the Lawrence Township Public Schools, which also means the due date to pay the third quarter property tax has been delayed.
Property taxes would have been due Aug. 1, but the Township Council has extended the due date to Sept. 4. Payments received after Sept. 4 will be charged interest back to Aug. 1.
The total tax rate for 2018 is $2.793 per $100 of assessed valuation. That means the owner of a house assessed at the township average of $282,131 will pay $7,879 in property taxes during the next year.
Breaking down the tax bill, the municipal portion of the total tax bill will be $1,664 based on a property tax rate of 59 cents per $100 of assessed valuation, including a 3-cent open space tax.
The school portion of the total tax bill will be $4,175, based on a tax rate of $1.48 per $100 of assessed valuation.
The Mercer County portion of the total tax bill – for county government, the public library system and the county open space tax – will be $2,059 based on a tax rate of 73 cents per $100 of assessed valuation.
Year to year, the total property tax rate has increased from $2.78 to $2.793 per $100 of assessed valuation. The result is an increase of $36.68 for the owner of a house assessed at the township average of $282,131.
Although property owners write out their property tax checks to Lawrence Township, the township serves as the tax collector and distributes the money that is due to each governmental entity – the school district, the county government and then the township.
