Tax Collector

The Collector of Taxes collects the town's property, poll and excise taxes as committed by the assessors and pays them over to the treasurer. In colonial Billerica taxes were collected by the constables; Hazen names John Parker as the town's first collector, empowered in 1658 to gather the rate for building the minister's house. In the nineteenth century a collector was chosen each year for that year's taxes (William S. Gleason for 1862, William Blanchard for 1863, C. H. Parker for 1864 and 1865, P. D. Howe for 1882 to 1885, George E. Stearns for 1886 and C. P. Sawyer from 1887 to about 1891). By 1894 the collector was elected by ballot at the annual town election for a one-year term; a three-year term was adopted in 1946. Everett S. Bull, collector from 1907 to 1917, then became the first Town Accountant. Patrick J. Mahoney held the office for nearly twenty years (1927-1946) and John F. Monahan from 1955 until his death in 1972. About 1980 the office became appointed. In 1989 it was combined with the office of Town Treasurer as the Treasurer/Tax Collector, so the later holders (Arthur M. Curtin Jr., David A. Genereux, Kelly Odams, John Clark and Elaine Russo) are listed under Town Treasurer.