Compiled by The Bedford Citizen
With appreciation for information posted on the Town of Bedford’s website
After an extended process, Bedford’s Assessors are in the final stretch as they complete their triennial revaluation of the town’s assets and the ultimate certification of Bedford’s FY2018 tax rate.
According to the Town’s website, the reevaluation began two years ago and concluded with the Department of Revenue’s audit of Bedford’s methodologies and the values derived from the town’s mass appraisal system.
Public Comment Period Underway
The preliminary approvals for the valuations are pending certification by the Massachusetts Department of Revenue, and are available for public review between today, Tuesday, January 30, and Monday, February 5, 2018.
The April 1 tax bills will be calculated based upon the FY2018 valuations.
Residents are invited to check the adjusted assessed values through the Assessors Database – Click https://bit.ly/2BE6Lyr, then enter the name of the property owner or the address for which you seek the new valuation.
Residents may also visit the Assessors office on the ground floor of Town Hall, during regular business hours — Monday to Friday, from 8 am to 4 pm. Printed copies of the assessments at the Bedford Free Public Library or at the Council on Aging Senior Center. Property record cards can also be requested by calling the Assessors office at 781-275-0046 and a copy will be mailed to you.
Interested residents are encouraged to present oral and written comment to the Assessors.
Classification Hearing Set for February 12
The tax rate depends on the budget adopted at Town Meeting, available state aid, and other borrowing authorizations. According to the Town website, ” If there were no change in the budget and values remained constant there would be no change in the tax bill. If the budget goes up then the rate goes up; but if the valuation increases at a greater rate than the budget the tax rate would come down.
The Selectmen decide on several tax policies that affect the calculation of the tax rate. Those decisions will be voted during Bedford’s annual Classification Hearing scheduled for 7:30 pm on Monday, February 12 in the Selectmen’s Meeting Room at Town Hall.
At the February 12 meeting, the Selectmen will determine the percentages of the tax levy to be borne by each class of real property — residential, commercial, industrial — and personal property for the Fiscal Year 2018 (July 1, 2017, through June 30, 2018).
The Selectmen will also consider whether or not to continue the previous year’s decision to effect a 175% allocation of the tax burden from the residential property classes to the commercial/industrial/personal property classes.
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