艾克屯董事会确定2013年预算，决定2013年居民住宅和商业物业税不变，居民房产税仍为千分之19.1。
Selectmen faced their annual duty to determine the percentages of tax levy to be paid by both residential and commercial property classes.
On Dec. 17, the board unanimously adopted a residential factor of one, which keeps the tax rate the same for both residential and commercial properties.
The board also unanimously voted against adopting an open space discount, a residential exemption and a small commercial exemption.
The board’s decisions reflect the same choices made the prior year in which there was no shift in the tax levy and the discounts and exemptions were not adopted for fiscal 2012.
Carol Leipner-Srebnick, chairman of the Board of Assessors, and Brian McMullen, assessor, met with the board for the town’[s annual classification hearing.
Acton may shift up to 50 percent of the tax levy from residential to commercial. A residential factor of one means there is no shift and all property is taxed at the same rate.
Adopting a residential factor less than one results in increasing the commercial percentage of the tax levy.
Leipner-Srebnick said that the town saw a one percent increase in the total tax base in the past year, which was about the same as the previous year. There were also no significant shifts in the percentage of total valuation with residential at 87.2 percent and commercial at 12.8 percent.
Based upon a residential factor of one, meaning a single tax rate, the anticipated fiscal 2013 tax rate would be $19.10/per $1,000 valuation.
The average single family tax bill would be $9,650 based on a valuation of $505,237, while the average industrial tax bill would be $17,092 based on a valuation of $894,885.
If the tax rate was shifted by 5 percent, the average residential tax bill would only be reduced by $56, but the average industrial tax bill would increase by over $824.
McMullen said that adopting a residential factor of less than one was “really shifting the burden to the commercial sector.”
As for the open space discount, Leipner-Srebnick said t Acton currently has no parcels that fall into this category.
The residential exemption is a shift within the residential class itself. It reduces the taxable value of a principal residence under $400,000 – the average residential parcel value – and may be up to 20 percent of the average assessed value of all residential parcels. The exemption is recovered by increasing the tax levy on the balance of the residential parcels.
McMullen explained that primary residence parcels below the average receive the discount and parcels above the average pay extra. Leipner-Srebnick said the residential exemption is difficult to implement.
Adopting a small commercial exemption shifts the tax burden within the commercial class. It would affect small businesses with less than ten people and less than $1 million in value. The exemption is recovered by increasing the tax levy on the larger businesses.
Leipner-Srebnick said it is very complex and would only affect a small percentage of the businesses in town.
Selectmen Chairman Pamela Harting-Barrat noted that average values of single family homes peaked in 2007 at $443,000 then plummeted from there with a slight uptick of .22 percent in fiscal 2013 to $403,000. Harting-Barrat wondered if the trend was unique to Acton.
McMullen said that other communities have seen significant losses in value compared to Acton.
“We’ve been maintaining our values pretty well here,” said McMullen.
Budget challenges
Whether it is climbing a mountain or walking a tightrope over alligator infested waters, the mixed-metaphor message was the same – there are many challenges to overcome in developing the town’s budget for fiscal 2014.
Town Manager Steve Ledoux told selectmen on Dec. 17 that he and his staff have been working on the municipal budget since Oct. Based on feedback from department heads and town staff on operational costs and capital needs, Ledoux presented his recommendations on the budget Dec. 17.
Ledoux presented an operating budget of $28,388,835, which represents a 1.92 percent increase over Fiscal Year 2013 with an increase of $535,035.
The operating budget includes $325,935 for new personnel, including four police officers, a lead dispatcher and additional hours for the town clerk for administrative purposes.
Ledoux said the town is “revenue challenged” in light of Proposition 2 ½ limiting the amount the town can raise the tax levy to 2 ½ percent along with shrinking state aid.
Some of the many challenges going into this budget season include the so-called federal fiscal cliff, other post employment benefits, frequently called OPEB,; unpredictable state aid and town residents who demand services but cry out for lower taxes.
The town manager will provide more detail on so-called Budget Saturday, Jan. 5.
Selectmen must approve the budget at least 60 days before annual Town Meeting in the spring.
Numbers to know
$19.10/per $1,000 valuation new tax rate
$9,650 projected average single-family tax bill
$505,237 property valuation basis for average residential bill
$17,092 projected average industrial bill
$894,885 property valuation basis for average industrial bill
Source: Town of Acton
