Council sets FY2027 mill rate at $14.12 after townwide revaluation

The council voted unanimously to set the municipal tax rate for fiscal 2027 at $14.12 per $1,000 of assessed value after a presentation by Clinton Swit, the town assessor, on the results of a recent townwide revaluation.

"The mill rate will be, $14.12 per thousand dollars evaluation," Swit told the council and said the revaluation followed a broad review of sales and field inspections. He said assessors met with more than 125 residents, made corrections to sketches and exemptions, and reduced disparities discovered during the review. Swit described the town's certified-ratio situation and why periodic revaluations are required when assessments increasingly diverge from market sales.

Residents and councilors pressed for more granular detail about who gained or lost in the revaluation. Pat Oles, a condo owner, discussed seniors and low-income households facing disproportionate burdens: "The senior population in our town is 1,712 people... A lot of people can't afford to keep up with it," she said, urging the council to consider impacts on longtime and cash-poor residents.

Councilors requested breakdowns — by housing type, by percent of households with higher, same or lower bills, and the share of valuation attributable to new construction — and the assessor agreed to supply that data. After discussion and public comment, a motion to adopt the proposed rate passed unanimously.

Why it matters: the revaluation alters assessed values used to compute tax bills and many residents asked the council for clearer comparisons showing who will see tax increases and who will not. Staff committed to providing more detailed splits of residential, condo and commercial impacts to improve public understanding before tax bills are mailed.