Cranston property owners should be receiving their first quarter tax bills soon, as mailing of the letters began  June 16.

Those receiving a letter can expect a weightier tax bill than last year, as both the residential and commercial tax rates have risen with a new fiscal year. Residential taxes are $18.90 for every $1,000 of assessed value, an increase of .39 cents per $1,000 from last year, and commercial rates are up to $28.35, which is an increase from last years $27.77.

City of Cranston Treasurer David Capuano suggested Cranston residents utilize the online tax payment services the city created a few years ago at cranstonri.gov.  By using this online service, residents can receive and view bills electronically and make payments online, by phone or by text with a credit/debit card and/or bank account. With the help of online payment measures, the expected successful tax collection rate for the city of Cranston is 98.9% according to Finance Director Thomas Zidelis.

The full list of services provided by the online bill pay system are:

• Access your account or make a one-time payment:
• View your bill and make a one-time payment without registering your accounts.
• Register your account(s) to enjoy 24/7 access to your payment history and bills.
• Pay anytime, anywhere with a mobile optimized experience - online, on your mobile device, or by text message (registration required).
• Schedule a payment for the same day, a future date, or enroll in AutoPay - automatically pay the invoice amount from your default payment method on the due dates.
• Faster and more convenient than paying through your bank - EFT/ACH payments are received and clear faster than checks issued by banks.
• In addition to receiving email reminders when a payment is due and a confirmation email after making a payment, you can sign-up for courtesy email reminders which can be sent to multiple people in your household.

“The more we can advertise for people to pay online, the better,” said Capuano. “We set it up a few years ago and it’s been really successful. You have auto pay and can set notifications in email or text that can be a reminder or even automatically set up to pay your bill for all for quarters. It’s only 60 cents if you set up your checking account and routing number versus using a credit card which is the same cost as a stamp now.”

Those concerned about paying their taxes  should see if they're eligible for exemptions.  Exemptions for those over 65, the disabled, veterans and the legally blind can all be applied for through the city. Steps to qualify can be found on the city’s website under the department of finance’s tax assessor page.

A full list of such exemptions can be found, along with a list of the amount each exemption would allow.

“With regards to the exemptions, the table details the amount of value per exemption which is reduced from the assessed value thus reducing the tax liability due to the City,” Zidelis explained. “A quick practical application would be a property has an assessed value of $300,000. This property is owned by an individual who qualifies for the blind exemption and would be entitled to a reduction in assessed value in the amount of $58,043.00 thus producing a net assessed value of $241,957.00. This reduction produces a tax reduction in the amount of $1,097.01.”