The Woolwich select board recently announced it hired Linda Dow of Boothbay Harbor as tax collector. Dow’s addition at the town office comes at a busy time. Property taxes are due April 30.

“It’s been pretty busy since I started working on Tuesday. A few times we’ve had a line of people waiting at the window to pay their taxes but they’ve all been very patient and very nice,” Dow said, adding she’s learning a great deal on the job. Before coming to Woolwich, Dow’s work involved another kind of taxes. She worked for H & R Block in Damariscotta helping people prepare their income taxes. She also did bookkeeping services there.

“Career wise, you could say I’m going from tax preparation to tax collecting,” she said.

Dow also worked as an accountant for the Boothbay Register in Boothbay Harbor. Along with being a CPA, she’s also a notary public and has performed several marriages.

“I wanted to get into municipal government and was pretty excited when this opportunity came up,” Dow said. She’s already begun training for her new duties through courses offered by Maine Municipal Association.

Dow’s primary responsibility as tax collector is collecting property and personal taxes. Both are based on the fiscal year, not the calendar one. Woolwich’s fiscal year runs from July 1 to June 30.

Two important dates for residents to mark on their calendars are Oct. 1 and April 30 when the first and second property tax payments are due. As stated in the town report, any unpaid property taxes are subject to a 7 percent interest fee as approved by voters at the annual town meeting. Woolwich’s lien filing date is usually in August. Letters notifying property owners of unpaid taxes are sent from the town office in July.

The tax collector is also responsible for collecting excise taxes on vehicles of all types, including cars, trucks, ATVs, boats, snowmobiles and trailers. Revenues from excises taxes remain in town and are put towards the yearly tax commitment.

Dow greets all of her customers with a smile and a friendly hello.