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 Recognizes Firefighters of the Year, Outgoing Councilors

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

Pittsfield firefighters Matthew Mazzeo and Clarence Gunn with Gov. Maura Healey and state Fire Marshal Jon Davine at the annual Firefighter of the Year Awards in Worcester last month. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Two members of the Pittsfield Fire Department were recognized as Firefighters of the Year for rescuing a man from the ice in early 2025

At the end of November, Matthew Mazzeo and Clarence Gunn traveled to Worcester for the 36th annual Firefighter of the Year Awards held by the state Department of Fire Services. The two were honored for their Jan. 21 response to a fisherman who had fallen into the icy waters of Onota Lake. 

The Fire Department responded to the report of a fisherman falling through the ice about 7:45 a.m.  The person had gotten out of the water but had fallen back in, and the ice broke again while Mazzeo and Gunn were making the rescue. 

Mayor Peter Marchetti presented the two with certificates of recognition at the beginning of Tuesday's City Council meeting. 

Fire Chief Thomas Sammons explained that the two firefighters had to be tethered in cold water suits, and Gunn's suit failed, filling with freezing water. He and the fisherman were transported to Berkshire Medical Center for hypothermia and made a full recovery. 

"They were 300 feet offshore, so it was really hard to have communications, and everything happened all at once. They did a great job," he said. 

"We started pulling them in, and there was a layer of slush on top. It was really slow. Pittsfield Police responded. They donned life preservers and jumped right in. Everybody worked together for a very positive outcome." 

Sammons explained that the ice sled used for rescues also plunged into the water, and the two firefighters had to untangle the tethers to get the man and themselves to safety.  

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