BH-BL school tax bills to go out Sept 1.
On Thursday, Aug. 20, the Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake school district received final tax equalization rates for the towns of Ballston, Charlton, Glenville and Clifton Park and approved the 2020-21 tax rate, which resulted in a lower than estimated weighted average tax rate increase. When residents approved the 2020-21 budget, it carried an estimated average tax rate increase of 1.98 percent but final numbers resulted in a 1.32 percent weighted average tax rate increase across the four towns. This average takes into consideration the fact that Ballston and Glenville make up much larger portions of the school district than Charlton and Clifton Park.
Specifically, BH-BL school tax rates will increase by 2.00 percent in Ballston, 5.39 percent in Clifton Park and 1.41 percent in Glenville, while decreasing 1.57 percent in Charlton.
The increases vary based on the amount of new construction in each town and on how close market values are to assessed values in each town — in the estimation of the NY Office of Real Property Services (ORPS). ORPS is the state body that calculates town equalization rates each year in an effort to spread the tax collection across a school district as fairly as possible.
Tax rates per town are as follows:
- In Ballston, the tax rate is $23.61 per $1,000 of assessed property value.
- In Charlton, the tax rate is $29.76 per $1,000 of assessed property value.
- In Clifton Park, the tax rate is $39.67 per $1,000 of assessed property value.
- In Glenville, the tax rate is $24.09 per $1,000 of assessed property value.
The total BH-BL school tax levy is $42,363,759, which is slightly lower than what was estimated in June prior to the public vote on the school budget and results in a 2.9 percent increase. The levy includes $4,078,839 in taxes that will be paid by the state under the STAR program. The overall 2020-21 school budget is $70,885,844.
Payment Options
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ballston Spa Bank will be unable to accept in-person payments. Residents are encouraged to select one of the two other options:
- Mail in: Checks should be made payable to the Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake CSD. Mail payment along with the appropriate bill stub to:
Tax Processing Unit
Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake CSD
PO Box 13929
Albany, NY 12212-3929
- Online: Residents can pay their school tax bills online using a Visa, Mastercard, or Discover credit card or by e-check. Follow this link for instructions. Please note: If paying by credit card there is a 3.5% site fee plus a 50 cent swipe fee. If paying by e-check, there is a $4.95 site fee and a 0.5% premium on tax bills that are $2,500 or greater. For example, a $2,600 tax bill would generate a site fee of $4.95 plus $13 for a total of $17.95.
When are my school taxes due?
School taxes are billed annually. Residents will receive a bill in September only. Reminders are not sent out. Tax bills can be paid from Sept. 1, 2020 through Sept. 30, 2020 without penalty. Payments received online or postmarked Oct. 1, 2020 or later MUST include penalty. The last day of tax collection is Oct. 31, 2020. Payments received after Oct. 31, 2020 (including checks made with insufficient funds) will be returned immediately and deemed uncollectable. The uncollected balance will be turned over to the County to be re-levied on the property tax bill in January.