AMHERST — An average Amherst homeowner will pay $225 more in taxes if the Select Board agrees to maintain a single tax rate for all residential and commercial, industrial and personal properties.
The board is scheduled to hold the annual tax classification hearing at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Band Room at the Amherst Regional Middle School.
Based on information supplied by the Board of Assessors, the tax rate would rise from $21.22 per $1,000 valuation to $21.83 per $1,000 valuation if the Select Board keeps a uniform tax rate for all properties, as it customarily has done.
The average single family home, assessed at $333,500 this year, is paying $7,078. This tax bill would rise to $7,303, caused by both an increase in the tax rate and the average single family home going up to $334,600.
The increase in the average residential tax bill would be smaller than last year, when it increased by $236.
In addition to determining whether to split the tax rate, which would place more tax burden on commercial properties, the Select Board will also decide whether to offer a residential exemption for owner-occupied homes, and provide a property tax discount for land classified as open space.
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.
