Property Taxes

Property tax is a levy based on the assessed value of property.

Property tax has two components: a municipal portion (Township of Stone Mills and County of Lennox and Addington) and an education portion.

• Property Assessed Value: The value of your property is assessed by MPAC – the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation. MPAC is an independent body established by the Ontario Property Assessment Corporation Act.
• Education tax rate: This tax rate is set by the Province of Ontario.
• County tax rate: This tax rate is set by the County of Lennox and Addington and pays for services, such as social services; paramedics: hospitals; and libraries.
• Municipal tax rate: This tax rate is set by the Township of Stone Mills and pays for services, such as waste management; public works and parks maintenance; recreational programs; fire and emergency management; planning and building inspection; capital infrastructure; and police.

Property owners typically receive two tax bills from the Township each year.

Interim tax bills represent fifty percent (50%) of the previous year’s total taxes and are due on the 25th day of the month in February and April.

Final tax bills represent the balance of the annual year’s taxes and are due on the 25th day of the month in July and September.

If the 25th day of the month falls on a weekend or holiday, the due date will be the following business day of the month preceding the due date.

Supplemental tax bills are generated as a result of a change to your property during the taxation year.

These changes can include, but are not limited to: new residential homes, new commercial, residential or multi-residential units, changes in tax classes, additions or renovations to buildings and previously exempt properties that become taxable.

These bills follow the Property Assessment Change Notice issued by the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC). 

MPAC is responsible for assessing the properties and forwarding the information to the Township for billing.

In some cases, these bills can span more than one year depending on the information gathered by MPAC.

Supplementary tax bills are in addition to any other tax bills that have been issued. 

Each bill includes the effective date and reason for change.  They are due in one instalment and notice is provided at least 21 days before the payment is due.

E-Billing is when you receive an electronic version of your bill instead of a paper bill. Your e-Bill includes the exact same information as your paper bill, and can be viewed or downloaded in a PDF format.

E-Billing has many convenient features and benefits:

• You receive an email notification containing an attachment of your bill.
• You are able to see your bill faster than if it were sent via regular mail.
• You can save or print a PDF version of your bill.
• You are reducing clutter and paper waste.

Pre-Authorized Payments

The Township of Stone Mills has three (3) Preauthorized Payment Plans for taxes for your convenience:

Instalment Due Date Plan
This Plan authorizes tax instalment amounts to be withdrawn on specified tax due dates.  Enrolment may begin at any time however, taxes must be paid up to date before the first deduction.

12 Monthly Payment Plan (15th or 30th)
This Plan authorizes twelve monthly withdrawals on the 15th or 30th of each month, from January to December of each year.  The exception to the 30th of each month is February and this withdrawal will occur on the 28th of February, each year.

January to June withdrawals are based on prior year taxes divided by twelve.

July to December withdrawals are based on current-year taxes, less payments made between January and June.

Pre-authorized payment plan updates occur two times per year following the recalculation of property taxes for the periods January to June and July to December.  Updates will be reflected on each bill that is sent to the property owner(s) confirming the amounts for these periods.

To participate in any of the Preauthorized Payment Plans, please submit an application in writing on the township prescribed form and submit it ten (10) calendar days before the payment withdrawal date.  

Internet/Telephone Banking
Internet and Telephone Banking are available through most major Financial Institutions.  For property tax payments, please search the payee name containing “Stone Mills, Township, Taxes” or “Stone Mills (Township) Taxes”.  Your account number is your property tax roll number and must begin with 1124 and end with 0000.  The account number must be a total of 19 characters in length with no spaces or dashes.  Please be aware of your bank’s processing times to ensure your payment is recorded on or before the due date.

Financial Institutions
Tax payments can be made directly at most financial institutions having payment arrangements with the Township of Stone Mills. Please be aware of your bank’s processing times to ensure your payment is recorded on or before the due date.

In Person
You can pay your taxes in person at the Township Office at 4504 County Rd 4, Centreville. 

Office hours are:

Monday 8:30am - 6:00pm
Tuesday – Thursday 8:30am – 4:30pm
Friday 8:30am – 12:30pm

Cash, cheque and debit card (Interac) are available. Credit cards are not accepted.  A secure after-hours drop box is located at the main door of the Township Office for your convenience.

Mail

Send cheques and your payment stub to:

Township of Stone Mills
4504 County Rd 4
Centreville, ON K0K 1N0

Post-dated cheques are also accepted.  Please enclose your tax payment stub with your cheque and write your property roll number on the back of your cheque.

Payments must be received by the tax department on or before the due date to avoid late payment charges.

Failure to receive a tax bill does not excuse a taxpayer from the responsibility for payment nor relieve the liability of penalty for late payment.

A penalty of 1.25 per cent will be charged on the unpaid amount of an instalment on the first day of default. Monthly interest charges of 1.25 per cent (15 per cent per annum) will be imposed on any unpaid taxes on the first day of each month thereafter. Penalty and interest rates are set by Township bylaws pursuant to section 345(1) of the Municipal Act, 2001.

Payment is applied to penalty and interest charges first, and then to taxes beginning with the oldest year first.

The Council of the Township of Stone Mills finds it necessary at times to proceed with more stringent measures regarding the collection of tax arrears. The Township has the option to proceed with a Tax Sale as per provisions of the Municipal Act, 2001 Part XI and Municipal Tax Sales Rules (O. Reg. 181/03).

A summary of this process is identified in the following. If you have tax arrears, please contact the office and someone will assist you with arranging a payment plan to avoid this procedure.

Tax Sale Procedure Summary

A tax certificate shows the yearly tax amounts levied, payment information, penalties accrued, and outstanding account balances.

How to request a Tax Certificate

Send a letter by email with the details of your request to:
           Township of Stone Mills
           Attn: Tax Collector 
           4504 County Rd 4
           Centreville, ON K0K 1N0
           taxes@stonemills.com  

Pay the $100.00 Tax Certificate Fee as set out in the current Fees and Charges By-law  

Note: Acceptable payment methods include cash, cheques, or in-person debit. Credit cards are accepted through our online portal. E-transfers are not accepted.

An electronic copy of the tax certificate will be emailed, please ensure your email in on your request letter. Requests take approximately 5-10 business days.