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Danvers Select Board sets residential factor at 1.51 after lengthy tax-classification hearing
Summary
After a data presentation by Chief Assessor John LaBelle and extended debate about fairness between homeowners, multifamily owners and businesses, the Select Board voted 4–1 to set the residential factor at 1.51 for FY2026 and declined three optional exemptions.
John LaBelle, the town’s chief assessor, told the Select Board on Nov. 17 that FY2026 valuations show residential property comprises roughly 79% of Danvers’ total value and that new growth this year added about $854,000 to the tax base, with about 19% of that growth attributed to the Maple Square project. The Select Board’s annual tax-classification hearing followed LaBelle’s presentation of valuation slides and a review of the four decisions the board must make under Massachusetts law (Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 40 §56): whether to set a residential factor and whether to adopt an open-space discount, a residential exemption or a small commercial exemption.
LaBelle explained the mechanics of a…
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