The Town of Waterford Finance Office is responsible for tracking every dollar spent out of the general government and capital budgets. The office is composed of one position, the director of finance, currently held by Ruth Beers.
The Board of Finance is a seven-member board of elected residents charged with setting the mill rate and allocations for the general town government and education budget. The current chairman on the board is Republican Ronald Fedor, and the group meets the second Wednesday of every month at 7 p.m. in the Town Hall.
The Waterford Tax Collector, located in Town Hall, is charged with collecting the town's taxes. Personal property and motor vehicle taxes are sent once a year, in July, and are due by Aug. 2. Real estate taxes are sent out twice a year, once in July (due by Aug. 2) and again in January (due by Feb. 1).
Taxes can be paid in person or by check, made payable to Town of Waterford and mailed to P.O. Box 1755, Brattleboro, VT 05302. Taxes can also be paid by phone or at www.officialpayments.com, with a 3 percent to 10 percent surcharge, depending on the amount of the bill.
The Waterford Assessors Office, based in Town Hall, is charged with gathering and valuing all real estate, motor vehicle and business personal property in town for the purpose of creating a tax base. Assessments are based on a variety of factors conforming to a laundry list of state and federal regulations. Exemptions and reductions are possible on assessments for a variety of reasons, such as for disabled veterans, elderly residents or manufacturing equipment, among others. All town assessments are online at http://www.prophecyone.us/index_prophecy.php?town=Waterford.
The department is operated by the town assessor and an assistant assessor, with assessments being done once every five years. Assessments can be challenged by appointment through the Waterford Board of Assessment Appeals, a group of three elected townspeople.