The quarterly tax system task force meets with the City Council on Aug. 18 to discuss adopting the tax payment system citywide.
Photo credit: ChicopeeTV
CHICOPEE — Chicopee residents will soon have four tax bills to pay instead of two after the Chicopee City Council approved switching to a quarterly tax payment system.
The new system will officially begin on July 1, 2027, according to the city.
The question of whether to make this switch appeared on the November 2025 ballot after a vote by the City Council. However, it has been a topic of discussion in Chicopee for decades, after many surrounding cities and towns have implemented quarterly real estate tax billing.
Chicopee residents voted in favor of switching the biannual real estate tax billing to quarterly billing by a tally of 2,599-2,038 in that election.
Following the favorable results, Mayor John Vieau appointed a task force to review and consider changes to the city’s real estate tax billing process.
The task force members appointed by Vieau were City Council President Frank Laflamme, City Collector Sandra Peret, City Assessor Laura McCarthy, City Treasurer Marie Laflamme, Senior System Analyst IT Tammy Shaefer, System Analyst IT Dawn Fortin, Director IT Ron Rivet, City Auditor Tiana Steffenhagen and Mayor Chief of Staff Michael Pise.
Some members of the task force joined the special City Council meeting on Aug. 18 to answer any questions or concerns the councilors had. The idea is that, instead of getting billed twice a year, residents can budget more and control when the larger bills arrive under a quarterly billing process.
City Councilor Abigail Arriaga, a proponent of the change, said she heard positive endorsements from residents before the quarterly tax payment system was adopted.
“I’ve gotten a lot of phone calls asking when this is going to happen because they need it, they want it, it’s the only way that’s going to help them budget,” Arriaga stated. “A lot of my residents are older, they’re on fixed income, and they’re like, ‘this would just be amazing to not get hit with that one kind of big bill.’ They could do it in those four installments.”
Residents who still want to pay twice a year can do so. The tax bills are still scheduled to be sent out twice a year, but two bills will be in each envelope. Residents can either pay both bills or pay each one when they are due. Under the new system, bills will have to be paid on Aug. 1, Nov. 1, Feb. 1 and May 1.
Pise said the decision to stick to two mailings instead of four came down to saving money on postage.
Shaefer said that having a set schedule will help the city. “I feel bad that citizens have gotten horrible Christmas presents. Either the bills went out right before Christmas, or they were due right before Christmas,” Shaefer said. “Having a set schedule like this makes it so much easier.”
The task force stated that they will “bombard” the residents with information so they are aware of the change and when each bill will be due. They have discussed adding an insert into the tax bills in the fall and spring to provide residents with important information on the change. They are also planning information sessions with neighborhood groups, an informational video for ChicopeeTV and flyers to post across the city.
“It will be a big change for [residents],” Peret stated. “For people who have routinely been accustomed to making two payments a year, and now it will be four, so it will certainly be a bombardment of information.”
Pise also acknowledged that the change could require a new staff position, but since the new system doesn’t start until fiscal year 2028, there is time to investigate that possibility.
Marie Laflamme reassured the City Council and public that the new tax bill system will be successful because of the city’s experience at City Hall. She specifically credited McCarthy and Shaefer for their help on the shift.
“Laura McCarthy, who’s been here as assessor for years, has been really contributing a lot to this committee, and our IT is ready to go,” Marie Laflamme said. “Tammy actually worked in the collector’s office, so she has a ton of experience. They’re taking the lead for us to help our newcomers, I would say. I just want to reassure you they’ve been up to par and ready to go.”
