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Charlemont Select Board accepts assessors’ recommendation for single tax rate, declines to use excess levy capacity
Summary
At a joint hearing Nov. 17, the Charlemont Board of Assessors recommended—and the Select Board unanimously approved—a single property tax rate for FY2026 and chose not to use $859,576.87 in excess levy capacity. Town Administrator Sarah Reynolds urged a formal policy for future use of excess capacity.
The Charlemont Board of Assessors presented fiscal-year-2026 tax-classification worksheets at a joint hearing with the Select Board on Nov. 17 and recommended adopting a single property tax rate rather than splitting rates across classes. Carlene Hayden, Assessor’s Clerk, said rising sale values reduced the townwide rate to $16.81 and reported the town has $859,576.87 in excess levy capacity; she said using $100,000 of that capacity would raise the tax rate to $17.27 but the Assessors did not recommend tapping the excess funds.
Hayden told the boards that Charlemont lacks sufficient commercial and industrial property value to justify a split tax rate, warning that shifting the rate would sharply increase many small businesses’ tax bills and could force closures. The Assessors recommended levying below the limit and maintaining a single rate to keep the overall rate as low as possible.
Sarah Reynolds, the town administrator, said the Select Board currently has sole discretion to use excess levy capacity and recommended creating a policy and taking any proposal to Town Meeting for a vote. Hayden added that the only current mechanism to deploy capacity is by increasing estimated receipts, which complicates accurate future forecasting.
On a motion by Select Board member Jared Bellows, seconded by Wilder Sparks and affirmed by Kim Blakeslee, the Select Board unanimously voted to accept the Assessors’ recommendation of a single tax rate and to levy below the statutory limit; the hearing was closed at 6:15 p.m. Hayden reminded the Assessors to sign the LA-5 Options and Certification and Page 1 of the Tax Rate Recap sheet on Gateway before submission. The Assessors adjourned at 6:17 p.m.; their next regular meeting is Dec. 1, 2025.
