The taxwoman cometh — bills sent out by receiver of taxes

Colored lights, carols, frantic shopping, family visits, holiday cheer and — oh, right, one more certainty associated with the season of receiving and giving: a notice to pony up and pay your taxes.

Just ask Annmarie Seddio, Shelter Island’s receiver of taxes, who mailed out notices Dec. 10 to the 3,248 owners of taxable property on Shelter Island asking — O.K., requiring — that they give.

The combined town, county and school tax warrant this year, or debt owed by local taxpayers, is $22,601,010.

Which leads us to note at the close of 2019, that Ben Franklin’s two unavoidable occurrences in life should be partnered with another truth, that taxes will go up. That inevitability holds true, with the tax warrant increasing overall more than $817,035 from 2018’s bill.

Keyspan Corp., as always, retains the dubious honor of once again owing the most, with a bill of $188,643 on property assessed at $30,927,417. The steepest private tax bill was sent to William M. Birch of Ram Island, who owes a combined tax amount of $77,784 on property assessed at $12,751,800.

Pandion Acquisitions, a limited liability controlled by Richard Hogan, will pay $90,381 on his properties, which are assessed at $14,816,900. Pandion purchased close to 25 acres of the St. Gabriel’s property in April 2015 and is now developing it into a luxury residential community. The LLC paid $15.1 million to the Passionist Fathers, a Catholic religious order, which had owned the mainly undeveloped property that fronts on Coecles Harbor for more than a century, and paid no taxes.

One curious addition to the top 10 is The Beach House, LLC, which the New York Department of State says was incorporated in March 2017 in upstate Erie County and has a Buffalo company, Legalinc Corporate Services, as its registered agent.

Another top 10 listing is 10 Lari Lane, LLC. A search on the Department of State data base reveals the LLC is controlled by Carol Denahan of New York City.

Ms. Seddio reported that 73 parcels have been billed at $50 or less. Some of these properties are underwater lots or small, private roads or rights-of-way.

As always, the tax receiver said, the first half of the tax bill is due Jan.10, and the second half is due June 1. Ms. Seddio suggested the online payment system, which is at www.egov.basgov.com/shelterisland.

The receiver also accepts echecks, Visa, MasterCard, American Express and debit cards, but doesn’t accept credit card payments in her office.