Marlborough Sets 2022 Tax Rates For Homes, Businesses

MARLBOROUGH, MA — Tax rates in Marlborough will drop in 2022, but that doesn't mean tax bills are going down.

The Marlborough City Council on Monday set the 2022 tax rates at $13.12 per $1,000 for residential properties and $22.17 for commercial, industrial and personal properties (CIP). The rates set last year for fiscal year 2021 were $13.80 for residential properties and $24.47 for CIP.

Home values in Marlborough rose over the past year, however. The average value of a home in Marlborough rose about $27,000 to $431,000. That means the owner of a home of average value will see a $72 increase over 2021, the lowest average increase in several years. The average bill increased by $141 and $171 in 2021 and 2020, respectively.

In a presentation to Council, Marlborough Mayor Arthur Vigeant highlighted that Marlborough is one of the most conservative in the state when it comes to raising taxes. The city's excess levy capacity — the difference between how much the city needs to raise and how much it could raise if it set tax rates at the maximum allowed under state law — will be about $45 million in fiscal 2022.

"The only one who keeps kicking our butt is Cambridge," Vigeant said of the levy capacity title.

Like most cities in Massachusetts, Marlborough shifts its tax rate between residential and CIP, allowing homeowners to pay a lower rate. The city elected to reduce the shift from 1.43 to 1.40, with the City Assessor highlighting that commercial and industrial properties were either flat or declined in value.