Tax-collector Lisa Diagerelli presented claims and collection updates to the Finance & Claims Committee on Nov. 13. The committee unanimously approved four special refund requests (two court-ordered overpayments and two duplicate payments tied to car-wash accounts).

Diagerelli said October collections were at 53.41% and the office is preparing motor‑vehicle supplemental bills and the second installment real-estate, sewer-use and business personal property bills with a target of issuing them by December. She said the tax office has implemented wage garnishment procedures for city or BOE employees who are delinquent and noted preparations for a July 2026 tax-sale of properties with unpaid obligations.

The tax office reported roughly $460,000 in cannabis tax receipts since June 2024; Diagerelli described the billing as a 3% assessment of gross sales sent to the city and said retailers remit payments by check. Committee members asked about vendor fees for motor‑vehicle collection work: Municipal Tax Services (MTS) receives a $50 finder’s fee per vehicle plus a percentage of recovered revenue (noted in the meeting as about 38%), which some members described as a sizable acquisition cost.

Assessor Paul Gorman and MTS staff are working to identify roughly 17,000 accounts for supplemental motor‑vehicle billing after 10/01/2024 vehicle registrations.