GLOCESTER – Longtime tax collector and Glocester native, Jane Steere, is retiring, effective in December.
“Jane Steere has always represented the town of Glocester with her integrity, dedication, and no nonsense approach to doing the job you get paid to do,” Town Clerk Jean Fecteau told NRI NOW. “When people think of our town hall, they automatically think of Jane, and they always will. I will miss her friendship, her collaboration with me when we worked together to keep town business moving forward and, especially, seeing her car, first one in the lot, every day.”
Steere recalled her first role working for the town as a part-time clerk for the Department of Public Works in April, 1989.
“They didn’t have an office there when I started out,” she said. “I started that office.”
In July of 1991, she moved into a combined role in both the treasurer’s and tax office, eventually becoming deputy tax collector. When John Driscoll retired as tax collector, Steere took over. That was 30 years ago.
Times were different then – and much more demanding. Spread sheets, tax rolls, mailings, and other communications were written out by hand, requiring three people in the tax collector’s office, which was located in the current Manton Library, along with the rest of town hall. When the town hall was relocated into the former Chepachet Elementary School behind it, computers had just begun to come into use.
“We were just starting to input all the data, before we moved over here,” recalled Steere.
The job has become easier with computers over the years, she explained. As a result the tax collector personnel was reduced from three to two. In addition to being tax collector, Steere has helped out the finance department as well from time to time. That included filling in as finance director herself in the last year, while the search was underway for a replacement. As a result of that, Steere actually postponed her retirement so the town wouldn’t be left hanging.
“I’ve always loved the work,” said Steere. “Some days are better than others, depending. It’s not as bad as it used to be. You’re on the front lines when you’re taking their money. They complain to you even though they all voted for it.”
She added that less people complain than the number that used to.
The hardest part, she said, is working with residents who have failed to pay their taxes and now are facing a potential tax sale of their property.
“Some of them can’t pay,” she said. “I try to make agreements with them and try to work with them to help them out. That’s hard. You can’t be their best friend. You’re doing a job collecting money for the town.”
The collection rate for Glocester is close to 99 percent, said Steere, among the highest in the state. Most people, she said, pay on time with about half choosing to pay quarterly rather than all at once when taxes come due.
“We have a lot of people coming in now, and they pay in full,” she said.
What will she miss the most?
“Getting up and getting ready to come to work,” said Steere. “I’ll probably sit at home, open my book and read that for awhile. I do enjoy getting up and coming in. It just gets the day started.”
Asked about her plans for the future, Steere said with a chuckle that she will, “probably disrupt Dave’s day,” – of her husband. “He has wanted me to retire. I’ll find something to do. I’ll stay busy.”
At the recent Town Council meeting, councilors lauded Steere’s commitment and dedication to the town over the years.
“I just want to say with deep sincere appreciation for Jane, who took one for team Glocester and got us through some challenging times,” said Town Council Vice President Stephen Arnold. “I can’t appreciate what she did for everybody in this town. She really helped carry town hall through some very challenging times. On a personal level, she has been a pleasure to work with. I can’t thank her enough.”
“I feel the same way,” said Council President William Worthy. “Some people don’t understand what the country’s gone through in the last four years since we started coming out of covid, and with the current administration. There have been a lot of challenges to a lot of towns. A lot of people gave a lot of time to make us get through. Thanks to Jane Steere, as well.”
