Dalton Town & Fire District Set Tax Rates for FY26

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
05:27AM / Wednesday, December 10, 2025Print Story | Email Story

DALTON, Mass. — The Select Board voted to maintain a single tax rate, as it has done historically, during its meeting on Monday night.

This means all types of properties within the town, whether residential, commercial, or industrial, will be taxed at the same rate.

The town's tax rate for fiscal year 2026 is projected to be $16.87 per $1,000 property value, which is an increase of 40 cents from last year's rate of $16.47.

The average tax bill for a single-family residence in Dalton would be about $6,010.54 for an average value of $356,286.

Residential properties continue to represent most of the total value in town, at approximately 86 percent with commercial, industrial, and personal property only making up about 14 percent, Assessor's Clerk Lee Nunez said.

The town's excess levy capacity for FY26 is approximately $369,708, which is down from FY25's figure of $777,158.

The town's new growth evaluation is $3,157,478, which equates to a new growth levy amount of $52,000.

"New growth revenue is property taxes derived from newly taxable properties like new construction, additions, subdivisions, and personal property," Nunez said.

The total assessed value of taxable properties in town for FY26 is $1,002,804,256, an increase of $43,627,531, or 4.549 percent over last year.

The Dalton Fire District's prudential committee also voted to maintain a single-payer tax rate, as it has done for many years, at its meeting on Tuesday.

The Fire District and town are two separate governing and taxing bodies. The Fire and Water departments are the Fire District's responsibility. The Board of Water Commissioners and the Prudential Committee govern the district.

The district's tax rate is set according to its yearly budget. During the Fire District's annual meeting, voters approved budget articles amounting to approximately $3,569,222.

The district's tax rate for fiscal 2026 is projected to be $148, down $18 from last year's $166.

The average tax bill for a single-family residence in Dalton would be about $1.48 per $1,000 property value, or 0.74 centers per $1,000 property value twice a year.

The average tax bill for a single-family residence in Dalton would be about $527, or about $263 twice a year.

Tags: property taxes, tax classification,

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Pittsfield Council Revisiting DEI Office Restructure

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
04:11PM / Tuesday, October 13, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The conversation about the DEI office renaming that was halted by a charter objection will resume on Tuesday.

The City Council will discuss a request from Mayor Peter Marchetti to restructure the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

It proposes to rename the DEI office to the Office of Equity, Access, and Opportunity and merge the Human Rights Commission and Affirmative Action Committee into an Equity, Access and Opportunity Commission.

The Ordinance and Rules Subcommittee supported the changes in August, and in September, Ward 2 Councilor Cameron Cunningham delayed the vote with a charter objection.

Pittsfield's City Code prohibits charter states that "if a single member present objects to the taking of the vote, the vote shall be postponed until the next meeting of the city council." It also stipulates that at least four members must object if it is an emergency measure.

Cunningham also submitted a petition, which was referred to O&R under Rule 27, to replace the DEI Office and the Human Rights Commission with an equity, access, and opportunity coordinator in the Department of Community Development, with formal complaints and Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action functions assigned to Human Resources.

At the last meeting, he spent more than an hour querying the mayor and chief diversity officer about functions and effectiveness of the department, wanting more quantitative data. Cunningham proposed an ordinance that he says keeps Pittsfield's commitment to equity, access, and opportunity, "refocuses it on measurable results for our residents, and delivers it at a fraction of the current cost."

Under this petition, the equity, access, and opportunity coordinator would be a $60,000 to $80,000 per year position.

The DEI Office's fiscal year 2027 budget was about $200,000 after cuts during budget season; $106,700 for the chief diversity officer and $58,000 for the administrative assistant. The coordinator would be appointed by the director of community development and the mayor.

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