By Ashley M. Casey
Staff Writer
As of Sept. 1, residents of the town of Cicero will be able to pay or view their taxes online.
Tax Receiver Nicole Walsh has spearheaded the town’s effort to develop an online payment and records system through Business Automation Services (BAS), a municipal software company based in Clifton Park.
“We’ve had this company as our vendor since the early 2000s,” Walsh said.
The system will allow residents to pay online with a credit card, debit card or electronic check. Each method has a convenience fee.
In addition to paying online, residents also can retrieve and print a copy of their tax bill, receipts and records dating back to 2010.
“It makes it quite simple,” Walsh said.
With residents, real estate agents and attorneys able to look up property tax records, the system will reduce the volume of phone calls the tax receiver’s and assessor’s offices field each day.
“We get a lot of calls during the village [of North Syracuse] cycle,” Walsh said, adding that village taxes amount to 1/13 of the taxes levied by the North Syracuse Central School District.
“I am just excited [to be] able to bring this technology to the residents of Cicero without decreasing the quality,” Walsh said. “I don’t want people to think we’re trying to phase anything out. We’re adding opportunities for residents.”
The tax receiver’s office will send out a letter to each resident detailing payment options, payment windows and penalties, and electronic convenience fees.
Partial payments will still need to be made in person or by mail; the option will not be available online.
The online tax system will go live on the town’s website Sept. 1. To learn more, contact Tax Receiver Nicole Walsh at (315) 699-2756 or [email protected].
