Property Tax Conundrum

Just spent the last few days looking into the property tax credit system here in Vermont, and boy is it a load of horse shit. To make a long story short, I spent the last two years building a house by hand for my family, which is not yet completed, but was re appraised for 3x the value of the land (sounds fairly reasonable). Before you make any assumptions, I am borrowing money to pay for all building materials and make well under the threshold to qualify for the property tax credit, and I have done 100% of the work myself or with the help of my Dad. Got a bill for several thousand dollars from the town and thought, no big deal, I am sure the state will help pay the bill through the tax credit program as I have seen mentioned on here. Well, the state "will" give me a credit, but I won't see it until next year's property tax bill...? What kind of financial relief system is that? I had set aside these thousands of dollars to help fund my living expenses while I finish my house, maybe some Christmas gifts for the kids and the wife, but now I'll be forking it all up to the government just because I had the dedication to build an entire house in a short amount of time to shelter my family. Agghh

Anyways, if you know of any information I am missing or how I might find a solution to this financial roadblock, I'd be quite happy to hear it.