Politics & Government

Average Northborough Homeowner Faces $44 Tax Increase

The owner of a single-family home valued at $375,222 would pay $6,225 in taxes, based on a tax rate of $16.59, Town Administrator John Coderre said during the board of selectmen's annual tax classification hearing. The current rate is $16.11.

The average Northborough single-family homeowner's tax bill will increase about $44 -- but, that's $66 less than town officials' estimate at town meeting, Town Adminstrator John Coderre said Monday night.

The owner of a single-family home valued at $375,222 would pay $6,225 in taxes, based on a tax rate of $16.59, Coderre said during the board of selectmen's annual tax classification hearing. The current rate is $16.11.

Northborough passing the meals and hotel tax contributed to the tax increase being lower than expected, Coderre said. Town officials are using this revenue "to reduce the taxes" for this fiscal year, and are collecting "more information about how much revenue it's going to generate, so we can plan a little bit better," he said.

"Tax impacts on a single-family home are modest, affordable. Nobody can say that they're being run out of Northborough because their taxes are out of control," Coderre said.

"They clearly are not. They're manageable. They're reasonable. We need them to do all of the services that we do. But, we're not looking at $700, $800 tax increases year upon year."

Selectmen voted during the hearing to keep Northborough's single tax rate, as recommended by the board of assessors. Adopting a residential exemption or a small commercial exemption were options, but ones that would not increase revenue, "it just merely shifts who pays for it," Coderre said.

Northborough hasn't voted for a split rate since 1979, he said.

"We go through this every year. I'm a firm believer in 'If it's not broke, don't fix it,'" Selectman Jeff Amberson said.


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