Pittsfield Council Approves 2.64% Tax Increase
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The City Council has passed a 2.64 percent tax rate increase that will add about $145 to the average yearly home bill.
On Tuesday, the council unanimously approved a residential tax rate of $17.88 and a commercial, industrial, and personal property tax rate of $37.95. This uses a residential factor of 0.8245 at a shift of 1.75.
The average residential home, valued at $316,792 in FY27, has increased by about $1,500 from the previous fiscal year, and would pay $5,664.24 in yearly taxes. This is a 2.64 percent, or $145.88, increase.
The average commercial property worth $239,600 saw a $100 increase in value from the previous fiscal year, and would pay $9,092.82 in yearly taxes. This is a $255.27, or 2.89 percent, increase from the previous fiscal year.
Councilors pointed out that the tax rate funds the budget, which is set in June, and noted the importance of hearing from constituents during budget season. The national state of the economy was also a topic of discussion.
Councilor at Large Kathleen Amuso said this is always the worst meeting of the year for her.
"Every single household, probably, in the United States is paying more for everything. Everything," she said, explaining that there would have to be a significant decrease in the city budget to see any savings in the tax rate.
"…I think we're trying to be conscientious with what we're spending and how we're spending it, but we are sitting here today. We have to pay for a budget, and it has to be done. It doesn't make it easy. It doesn't feel good, but we have to pay for what we already approved."
Councilor at Large Peter White explained the council is setting the shift between residents' and businesses' rates, rather than the rate.
"It's the budget that we really need to be hearing people coming up, talking to us, sending us emails, everything else," he added.
"Tonight, our hands are pretty much tied with saying 'residents are paying this' or 'businesses are paying this.'"
Ward 2 Councilor Cameron Cunningham, using the analogy of dining at a restaurant, said the city is ordering too many cocktails, appetizers, and desserts, rather than sticking with core meals.
Later in the meeting, his petition to replace the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, now named the Office of Equity, Access and Opportunity, and the Human Rights Commission failed. This would have moved the department head to the Office of Community Development at an annual salary between $60,000 and $80,000.
Cunningham identified the office as an "appetizer" and not a "core function of government."
"Our job is to provide services and order for the table, and we're ordering a lot of services that I don't really think we need, considering the money we're willing to pony up," he said.
A construction cost estimator determines the rates for Pittsfield, one which Board of Assessors Chair Laura Catalano said is widely used. Ward 6 Councilor Dina Lampiasi said the municipality is not fudging numbers to make things work or artificially raising the value on certain items.
Ward 5 Councilor Patrick Kavey pointed out that, for example, the cost of asphalt went up 30 percent since 2020, but Pittsfield's allocation from the state went down, and the local budget hasn't increased it.
The FY27 tax levy of $124,468,317 is a $5.3 million increase from the previous year, or 4.45 percent. There is about $388,000 in excess levy capacity, $2.3 million in new growth, and the levy limit is $124,856,412.
Tags: fiscal 2027, tax classification,
