Lanesborough Sets Single Tax Rate, Bills to Increase

LANESBOROUGH, Mass.— The average homeowner's tax bill for fiscal year 2025 will rise about $360.

On Monday, the Select Board adopted a single tax rate of $16.73 per $1,000 valuation.

The rate is a 28-cent decrease from the previous year but the average single-family home valued at $345,786 will see a tax bill increase of $362, totaling $5,785. The average commercial property (estimated at $535,317) will see a $23 increase, paying nearly $9,000 in property taxes annually.

Last year, the same single-family home valued at about $318,800 saw a $107 increase on its bill.

"When people get their tax bills, please remember that you voted for this a town meeting," Select Board member Deborah Maynard said.

"You voted for this budget to be spent."

The tax rate is calculated by dividing the $9.9 million tax levy by the total value of all properties, nearly $592 million, and multiplying it by 1,000. The town will have about $1.6 million in excess levy capacity in FY25, about $150,000 lower than the prior year.

"I know a lot of people think that it has to do with assessments. It's not the assessment that's driving the bill up, it's the levy," Principal Assessor Ross Vivori explained.

"Because if the assessments go up, it drives the tax rate down and if nothing else changed, the bills would stay the same."