Pittsfield Tax Rate May Drop But Bills Rise

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Mayor Peter Marchetti has proposed a decrease in the city's tax rate but because of rising property values, the average homeowner will see an annual increase of more than $350.

There will be a tax classification hearing during Tuesday's City Council meeting, which begins at 6 p.m.

For fiscal year 2025, the first-year mayor has put forward a residential tax rate of $17.94 per $1,000 of valuation and a commercial, industrial and personal property tax rate of $37.96 per $1,000 of valuation.  
The rates use a residential factor of 0.827103 at a shift of 1.75 to the commercial side.

The $114,615,097 levy limit for fiscal 2025 includes $2,726,686 in new growth, a 4.72 percent increase from the previous year. Pittsfield's real and personal property valuation is $5,270,539,121.

In one year, the average residential property value has increased by $27,377, the median residential property by $22,850, and the median commercial property by $12,750.

The proposed residential rate is 51 cents lower than FY24 and the proposed commercial rate decreased by $1.65. In FY25, the average single-family home is valued at $295,291 for a tax bill of $5,297.52 annually, compared to the average FY24 home valued at $267,914, which paid $4,943.01.

The 7.17 percent increase would shake up to about $30 additional dollars per month for homeowners.  The bill hike is less than FY24, which raised annual taxes by $397.82 for the average homeowner.

The median city home valued at $256,500 would see an increase of about $290.77, paying $4,601.61 annually, and the median commercial property worth $224,250 would see an increase of $135.01 annually.



A single tax rate for FY25 would be $21.69, a 95-cent decrease from the previous year.

According to data provided by the administration, Pittsfield lost two single-family homes between FY24 and FY25. The city's 11,326 single-family homes are valued at about $3.3 billion, a $309 million or 10.2 percent increase.

Pittsfield's total residential value including multi-families and condominiums is $4,283,149,542, a $414,172,205 increase from the previous year.

Data shows that the city lost three commercial properties.  

The city's 818 commercial properties worth $449,357,652 saw a 3.3 percent increase in value, the 260 industrial properties worth $154,460,407 saw a .8 percent increase in value, and the $1,820 personal properties worth $383,571,520 saw a 4.9 percent increase in value.

Last year, the tax classification was tabled because some councilors didn't want to vote before free cash was certified. The FY25 recapitulation sheet shows $2.5 million in free cash appropriated to reduce the tax rate.

The city expects to raise a total of $232,299,670.99, which includes property taxes and local receipts.


Tags: fiscal 2025,   pittsfield_budget,   tax classification,   

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Dalton Division Road Project in Pre-25 Percent Design Stage

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
DALTON, Mass. — The town's engineers say there is still time to work through the Dalton Division Road project’s design and permitting process. 
 
In December, the Select Board voted to advocate for Concept A, which would have sidewalks on both sides, a 5-foot bike lane in the road on both sides with a buffer, and a 2-foot painted buffer between the vehicle lane and in the bike lane. They also recommended the two-way stop control option. 
 
Since that decision, there have been sentiments to revisit this decision to reduce the cost and improve safety at the intersection off Williams Street, Washington Mountain Road, and Mountain Road. 
 
The original vote would have been the most expensive and "certainly not" the engineer or the state's "preferred design," Town Manager Thomas Hutcheson said during a meeting in November. 
 
During last week's Select Board meeting, Fuss & O'Neil project manager and senior traffic engineer Steve Savaria represented the options, explained potential obstacles, and demonstrated the next steps. Present board members have yet to vote on their final choice. 
 
The project is still in the pre-25 percent design stage and is currently on the fiscal year 2029 Transportation Improvement Program list, so there is "plenty of time" to work out the details. 
 
Since the original vote, some board members have shifted their opinion toward advocating for the most feasible and timely option with a "path of least resistance to get this project done." 
 
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