Press Release: Dudley Board of Selectmen rejects split tax option and DOR Finalizes FY24 tax rate.

November 30, 2023

Dudley Board of Selectmen rejects split tax option and DOR Finalizes FY24 tax rate.

Based on the recommendation of the Board of Assessors to maintain a Residential Factor of 1.00, the Dudley Board of Selectmen voted on November 27 to retain a single rate of taxation for residential and commercial/industrial/personal property classes.
The vote followed the annual tax classification hearing conducted by Principal Assessor Lisa Berg. The full Tax Classification presentation is available at: https://www.dudleyma.gov/assessors.

Subsequently, the state Department of Revenue on November 29 certified the town’s FY24 tax rate to be set at $10.48 per $1,000 of assessed property value, which is a 32-cent increase over FY23. Ms. Berg reported the average single-family home valued at $360,942 will see an annual tax bill increase of $454.89.

Selectmen noted the three Proposition 2 ½ Override questions voters approved on the August 17 special election ballot were said to add $1.21 to the tax rate. At the time of the election Treasurer/Collector Richard Carmignani Jr. reported that 24 cents would drop from the FY24 tax rate due to retiring debt. That retiring debt was to drop the $1.21 increase to 97 cents. When selectmen asked Mr. Carmignani to comment on the 65-cent discrepancy, he said, “It’s a moving target.”

The town’s new growth, Ms. Berg reported to selectmen, is $177,065. Town Administrator Jonathan Ruda said the Town Accountant has reported that local revenue for FY24 is a 1 percent decrease from FY23.