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Adams Sets Tax RateBy Jen Thomas - October 05, 2007
ADAMS - Property owners may catch a break on their taxes for the fiscal 2008 after the Board of Selectmen approved a lowered rate at its meeting Wednesday night.
Following a presentation from Assessor Donna MacDonald and a recommendation from Town Administrator William Ketcham, Selectmen settled on a 125 percent shift, or the apportionment of taxes raised between residential and commercial properties.
The higher the shift, the higher the percentage of taxes raised from commercial and industrial properties.
Selectmen decided to lower the rate from last year's 135 percent, which was selected to reduce the strain on area homeowners in fiscal 2007.
The tax rate will drop for both types of property this year. Residential property owners will be taxed $15.02 per $1,000 of assessed value; commercial and industrial property owners will pay $20.68 per $1,000 assessed value. Farmland is considered commercial property.
Last year's rates were $15.21 for homeowners and $21.96 for commercial property owners.
"We do what we can to keep it low and reduce the burden on seniors," said Selectmen Edward Macdonald at the meeting. "We're trying everything we can to control our rate."
Owning a residential property assessed at $165,000 - the average value of assessed property in town - would cost $2,478 in property taxes.
During the tax classification public hearing, resident and Selectmen meeting regular Jeffrey Lefebvre demanded the board determine "how the town will move forward" in its consideration of the tax rate, prompting Macdonald and Chairman Joseph R. Dean Jr. to defend their decisions.
"We're running right where we should be," said Dean. "But we aren't magicians. Our job is to protect the town property. We don't waste money; we work with the figures we have. We take the cut on this end. Everything has gone up - electric, gas, fuel. How do you expect taxes to go down? You're going to have to sacrifice services if you want it to go down."
The fiscal 2008 budget for the town is $13,331,526.73.
"We have a limited amount of money. We don't have the magic bullet; we're under the same classification as the rest of the state," said Macdonald, who noted that the state cut the budget 36 percent this year. "We've got three options: we can borrow from the state, we can borrow from the bank, or we can raise taxes. We're doing what we can."
Ketcham recommended a 125 percent shift, which would bring the town closer to its original goal of maintaining a 118 percent shift.
"But I don't want the taxes to be cut so low so that people think it could stay at an artificial rate," he said.
The Selectmen voted unanimously on the 130 percent shift. Board member Donald Sommer was absent. |
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