By THOMAS GRILLO
LYNN — Taxpayers will pay more if they fail to meet their obligations on time.
Peter Caron, the city’s chief financial officer, proposed, and the council approved boosting the late fee to $30, up from $15 for late payers of excise and real estate tax bills.
“The call has been out to department heads to review their fees as a way increase revenue,” he said. “That was one of the marching orders from the mayor.”
Of the 55,000 excise bills last year, the city raised $480,000 in late fees from about 32,000 tardy payers. If the same number of residents fails to make timely payments, it would raise $960,000 in fiscal year 2018.
The Ways & Means Committee voted to approve the measure without debate and the City Council followed.
While Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy supported the fee hike, she vetoed the local option meals tax that would impose a .0075 percent tax on top of the state’s 6.25 percent sales tax on meals.
The new levy would add 75 cents to a $100 dinner bill, about 19 cents to a $25 meal and raise $700,000 annually for the city. The City Council is expected override the mayor’s veto at a special meeting next Tuesday.
Thomas Grillo can be reached at tgrillo@itemlive.com.