Dalton Town & Fire District Set Tax Rates for FY26

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
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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 Man Facing Charges in Hit-and-Run

Staff Reports
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A city man is facing charges in Vermont related to a hit-and-run crash that seriously injured a pedestrian. 
 
The Bennington (Vt.) Banner reports that Nelsin Martin, 21, is facing a felony charge in the May 8 incident. He could face up to 15 years behind bars if found guilty.
 
The crash occurred on Route 7 near the intersection with Route 346 at about 6:38 a.m. A witness and video from a Pownal school bus indicated that two vehicles were driving south down the highway nearly side by side at an excessive speed. The witness said they appeared to be racing, according to the Banner. A third vehicle was mentioned by it was not clear if it was involved. 
 
The pedestrian, 37-year-old Adrienne Formel of Pownal, was struck by the vehicle in the far right lane, which was either trying to pass in the breakdown lane or was "bumped" by another vehicle, according to witnesses.  
 
The victim was taken to Albany (N.Y.) Medical Center with life-threatening injuries, including a broken arm, and had to have her right leg amputated. 
 
Vermont State Police identified two vehicles, a white Chevrolet Silverado and a white Volkswagen sedan, which both fled the scene south into Massachusetts and were last seen on North Hoosac Road in Williamstown. By the end of the day, they had identified both the vehicles and the drivers. 
 
Martin is expected to be arraigned next week. 
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