Oxford is owed some $10.2 million in delinquent taxes stretching back to 1997, officials said Tuesday.
Town officials are combing through a 41-page list containing about 2,000 delinquent tax accounts.
Not every name on the list actually owes taxes, according to Oxford First Selectman George Temple.
Some names are on the delinquent list due to the incompetency and alleged fraudulent practices of former Oxford Tax Collector Karen Guillet, who allegedly collected money and did not credit accounts, officials said.
Here is the complete list. Click here for a closer view. Article continues after the document.
Others on the list have large “past due” balances plus interest — and the amount they owe is legit, Temple said.
Now that Oxford has the list, officials are trying to figure it all out.
The list was created at Temple’s request, who said the public has the right to know the ripple effects of Guillet’s alleged misdeeds and mismanagement in the tax office.
Officials are not claiming $10.2 million in back taxes were stolen.
“I want to get to a point where I know what the story is,” Temple said, referencing the 41-page list. “We really don’t know right now.”
Newly-elected tax collector Cayenne Spremullo is verifying that accounts marked delinquent are, in fact delinquent.
She will “implement an aggressive collection program,” to go after accounts that are legitimately delinquent, officials said. Part of the aggression could involve tax warrants for property owners who owe large amounts of money. Those property owners could, potentially, lose their properties if they don’t attempt to work out a deal with Oxford.
In addition to allegedly stealing taxpayer funds and cooking the books to cover her tracks, Guillet was also doing a terrible job collecting delinquent taxes, town officials said at a press conference Tuesday.
Guillet currently has felony charges pending against her for allegedly stealing money. She had pleaded not guilty to the charges and is due back in Superior Court in Milford March 15 at 10 a.m.
Click here to read everything the Valley Indy has written about the case.
Guillet was the town’s tax collector for 24 years. The investigation into the ex-tax collector started in late 2009.
Both Temple and Spremullo said there were no checks and balances on Guillet. Bookkeeping was just plain “sloppy” and lacked accountability, Temple said.
“Karen Guillet’s practice of tax collecting … There was no enforcement of tax collection ever used,” Spremullo said. “We’re trying to clean up a giant mess that was left.”
“There were a lot of checks — but no balances,” Temple said, referring to the alleged practices of Guillet.
Now that Oxford has a dollar amount on back taxes owed, Temple said he and Spremullo will meet each month and talk about how to bring it down.
“It’s outrageous that it got to where it is. That number is crazy,” Temple said.
How crazy is $10.2 million in back taxes?
The town budget is $13.4 million, which doesn’t include the school budget.
There are about 12,000 people living in Oxford.
