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Officials: school levies drive most of Hillsborough’s property tax burden; town mostly residential
Summary
Assessors said Hillsborough is predominantly residential (figures cited between 80% and about 89%), with roughly 4–4.5% commercial property; the assessor noted qualified farmland is valued differently and that school levies consume roughly 60% of the typical tax bill.
During the session, Deborah Blaney said Hillsborough’s tax base is heavily residential and gave percentage estimates: "over 80% of the properties are residential" and later that "I would say it's about 89% are the residential properties," while commercial parcels made up approximately 4–4.5% of the tax roll. Blaney explained that qualified farmland receives lower per-acre valuations decided by a farmland evaluation committee rather than being assessed at full market value.
Charles Aker added that because the tax base is skewed toward residences, large shifts in the school levy have outsized influence on homeowners. "About 60% of your tax bill goes directly to the school," Aker said. He encouraged residents with concerns about school-related levies to attend school board meetings where levy proposals originate.
Officials cautioned that changing the composition of the tax base (for example, adding more commercial line items) would take decades of development and would not be an immediate remedy to residential tax burden.
