ANIMAL TAGS/LICENSES INFORMATION:
The Town of Vinton requires that all dogs and cats be properly tagged.
Animal tags expire on December 31 st each year. The tags go
on sale in the Vinton Treasurer's office starting on December 1 st
each year. In order to obtain tags for dogs or cats, you must present
a CURRENT RABIES CERTIFICATE for
each animal to the Town's Treasurer's Office. The certificate must
indicate
if the animal is neutered or spayed. Fees are $5.00 each for spayed or
neutered animals and $10.00 each for unaltered animals per year. Three
year licenses are also available. The cost for the three year licenses
is $13.50 each for spayed or neutered animals and $27.00 each for unaltered
animals. Not more than two
(2)animals
may be licensed at any one address within the Town of Vinton.
BUSINESS LICENSE INFORMATION:
If you operate a business within the corporate limits of the Town of Vinton,
you are required to obtain a business license each year from the Treasurer
by March 1 st. If you have a question about your license requirements
and costs, the Treasurer's office will be glad to provide assistance.
FEDERAL TAX FORMS INFORMATION:
Federal tax forms will not be available
at the Vinton Municipal Building due to a change in the IRS distribution
program.
Please call the phone numbers listed below for assistance.
- Tax Forms: 1-800-829-3676
- General Assistance: 1-800-829-1040
- Refund Information: 1-800-829-4477
PERSONAL PROPERTY TAX INFORMATION:
GENERAL INFORMATION AND
INSTRUCTIONS
- Town of Vinton Personal Property Tax Rate: $1.00
per each $100.00 of assessed value.
- For Personal Property Assessment Information:
Call the Roanoke County Commissioner’s Office at 540-772-2046
or visit
their web site by clicking here.
- For Personal Property Payment Information: Call
the Vinton Treasurer’s Office at 540-983-0608.
When making payments, return both copies of the blue
tax bill and the amount due to the Vinton Treasurer’s office
for the VINTON TAX BILL ONLY. The Town of Vinton Treasurer’s
office cannot collect or forward any payments for Roanoke County
Tax payments. Click
here to go to Roanoke County's web site for information on where
to pay taxes to Roanoke County. You may also file your vehicles
for personal property taxes online at the Roanoke County Web Site
by clicking on the following link: http://eservices.roanokecountyva.gov/personalproperty.
(Please note that the above web site is to file your vehicles
only. Payments are not taken online for personal property taxes)
No decals can be purchased until
all personal property taxes are paid.
TRANSFERS
If a vehicle is traded during the year, a portion of the old decal
should be removed from the windshield and returned to the Vinton
Treasurer’s office. A transfer decal can then be purchased
at a rate of $1.00. The Code of the Town of Vinton allows a transfer
decal to be purchased only once per year. Your old decal and new
vehicle registration card are required to purchase a transfer decal.
A prorated tax will also be due on the new vehicle.
PROPERTY TAX RELIEF ACT
The Town of Vinton allocates car tax relief using the specific
relief method as allowed by the 2005 General Assembly Amendment
to the Personal Property Tax Relief Act of 1998. The amount of the
car tax relief credit is shown on your bill as a reduction to the
total tax. Town Council adopts an allocation percentage for tax
relief each year at the time the Personal Property Tax Rate is set.
(1) The tax relief shall be allocated so as to eliminate personal
property taxation for for qualifying personal use vehicles valued
at $1,000 or less.
(2) Qualifying personal use vehicles valued at $1,001 - $20,000
will be eligible for the allocation percentage for tax relief;
(3) Qualifying personal use vehicles $20,001 or more shall only
receive the allocation percentage on the the first $20,000 of value;
and
(4) All other vehicles which do not meet the definition of "qualifying
" (for example, including but not limited to, business use
vehicles, farm use vehicles, motor homes, etc.) will not be eligible
for any form of tax relief under this program.
If you have questions regarding the Tax Relief Act, contact Barry
Thompson, Finance Director/Treasurer by email
or by calling 540-983-0608.
DOES YOUR VEHICLE QUALIFY FOR CAR TAX
RELIEF?
If you can answer "YES" to any of the following questions,
your motor vehicle is considered, by State Law, to be used for a
business use and does NOT qualify for Car Tax Relief:
- Is more than 50% of the mileage for the year used as a business
expense for Federal Income Tax purposes OR reimbursed by an employer?
- Is more than 50% of the depreciation associated with the vehicle
deducted as a business expense for Federal Income Tax purposes?
- Is the cost of the vehicle expensed pursuant to Section 179
of the Internal Revenue Service Code?
- Is the vehicle leased by an individual and the leasing company
pays the tax without reimbursement from the individual?
REAL ESTATE TAX INFORMATION:
Assessments are performed annually on properties located in the Town
of Vinton by the Roanoke County Real Estate Valuation Office, and values
are effective as of January 1st of each year.
The Town of Vinton Real Estate Tax rate is $0.03 per $100 dollars
of assessed value due and payable during the year in two approximately
equal installments, the first half is due on or before June 5th
and the other half is due on or before December 5th of
such year.
Any person who fails to pay a tax or installment shall,
in addition to the tax to be paid, be assessed a penalty of 10% of the
past due tax on the real estate or the sum of $10.00, whichever is greater;
provided, however, that the penalty shall in no case exceed the amount
of tax due.
All real estate tax tickets are mailed to the mortgage
company of record at the date of bill processing, unless otherwise indicated
(the property owner is responsible for bill). Bills are NOT mailed to
third party tax collectors.
Delinquent taxes are mailed in January and July of each
year to the property owner, regardless of whether or not a mortgage
company is responsible for the taxes. These bills are mailed in order
to inform the taxpayer that taxes are past due.
Exemptions for Elderly or Disabled:
The Commissioner of Revenue of Roanoke County shall, upon application
made and within the limits hereinafter provided, grant an exemption
of the tax on real property occupied as the sole dwelling house of a
person holding title or partial title thereto and being no less than
65 years of age or determined to be totally and permanently disabled.
For more information, please contact the Roanoke County Commissioner’s
office at 540-772-2046.
UTILITY INFORMATION:
- Charges for Water and Sewer Service
The Utilities department depends solely on revenues from system
users and new connections. Rates are established by Town Council
annually
as a part of the budget adoption in June. No tax dollars are used
to operate the utilities portion of this department. Customers are
billed bimonthly (every two months). There are minimum charges for
service regardless of the amount of water used. The sewer bill is
based on the amount of water consumption. The Town does not estimate
bills unless weather or other obstructions prevent the readers from
getting to the meter. Click here for current rate schedule.
- Sign Up for Water and Sewer
Service
Click Here to
sign up for water and sewer service.
- Opening and Closing Accounts for Water and
Sewer Service
If you are moving and wish to open or close an account, call 540-983-0608.
Water can usually be turned on or off within two working days. There
is a $25.00 fee to open an account; however, no security deposit is
required. On the day your water is scheduled to be turned on, make sure
all faucets and spigots are off. Service cannot be turned on at the
meter if water appears to be running on the property.
- Fees for Water and Sewer Service (New Construction)
Fees must be paid whenever a property owner or contractor
physically connects to the system. Click
here for more information on fees.
- Bill Payments for Water and
Sewer Service
Residential utility accounts are read and billed bimonthly and are
due on the 18th of the odd months of the year (January 18th, March
18th, May 18th, July 18th, September 18th, November 18th). Should
the due date fall on a weekend or Town holiday, the due date is the
next business day. Click
here to go to the Town Holiday Information Page. Bills may be
paid by mail or in person at the Town Treasurer’s office. There
is also a drive-through window at the Vinton Municipal Building for
water payments only. Normal office hours are Monday through Friday,
8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. For the convenience of our customers, a deposit
box is located next to the drive-through window for payments during
non-business hours. You may
also pay your bill on-line with your credit card by clicking here.
- Higher than Normal Water Service Bills
If your water consumption appears to be higher than normal and you
would like for the Town to check for a leak, please call 540-983-0608.
A Town crew will come out free of charge the first time to check for
a leak. However, if Town crews come out a second time in a calendar
year, there will be a $10.00 charge per each additional visit after
the first. If a leak is suspected, the customer is notified. Once
the leak is fixed, you can apply for a leak adjustment by filling
out a leak adjustment form available in the Treasurer’s office
or by calling 540-983-0608.
Town crews do no repair leaks unless they are on Town property.
- Past Due Water and Sewer Service Bills
Bills are considered delinquent if payment is not received on the
due date. A delinquent notice is mailed and a penalty of 10% is assessed.
If the balance is not paid in 10 days from the delinquent notice,
water service is disconnected. To restore service, a reconnection
fee of $40.00 must be paid in addition to the water bill amount. This
amount must be paid in cash and service cannot restored until paid
in full.
- Other Utilities
Click here
to find out about other utilities within the Town such as gas, electric,
phone, etc.
UTILITY TAX INFORMATION:
| Electric Utility Consumer Tax:
- Residential Consumers: $0.00900 per kwh/month not to exceed
$1.80/month
- Commercial Consumers: $0.00610 per kwh/month not to exceed $600.00/month
- Industrial Consumers: $0.00640 per kwh/month not to exceed $600.00/month
|
Natural Gas Utility Consumer Tax:
- Residential Consumers: $0.12183 per CCF/month not to exceed
$1.80/month
- Commercial Consumers: $0.12183 per CCF/month not to exceed $600.00/month
- Industrial Consumers: $0.12183 per CCF/month not to exceed $600.00/month
|
Public Water Utility Consumer Tax:
- Residential Consumers: 12% per two-month billing period with
a maximum of $1.80 ($15.00 x 12%) per billing period
- Commercial/Industrial Consumers: 12% per monthly billing period
with a maximum of $600.00 ($5,000.00 x 12%) per billing period
|
Local Telephone Utility Consumer Tax:
- Residential Consumers: 12% of charges per month to $15.00 in
charges per month
- Commercial/Industrial Consumers: 12% of charges per month to
$5,000.00 in charges per month
|
| All the above utilities
also pay a license tax of one-half of one percent of
gross receipts accruing from sales to the ultimate consumer in the
Town.
|
Public Right-of-Way Use Fee:
A public right-of-way use fee is imposed upon each access line
of every certificated
provider of telecommunications as established under Code of Virginia,
Section 56-468.1
|
Mobile Phone Utility Consumer Tax:
All Consumers: 10% of charges per month to $30.00 in charges per
month
|
E-911 Telephone Service:
All Consumers: $1.46/month per telephone line |
|
