Town and school tax rates up for Duxbury property owners

September 4, 2020  |  By Lisa Scagliotti

Photo by Lisa Scagliotti.

Duxbury property owners have until Oct. 9 to pay this year’s tax bills reflecting increases to both the municipal and school rates that combined amount to a 13.5 percent increase over last year. 

Town Clerk and Treasurer Maureen Harvey said bills have been mailed with a due date of Oct. 9. Taxpayers are encouraged to mail in their payment or drop it in the secure lock box outside the town offices entrance, she said. 

Current public health precautions allow for one visitor at a time inside the town offices.  Should people come by the offices when they are open to drop off tax payments, individuals may go inside one at a time, Harvey said. 

This year’s tax bills reflect a significant increase in the municipal tax rate and a modest increase on the school side. Taxes collected in October will be revenue for the current 2020-21 fiscal year which began July 1 and ends June 30, 2021.

The town select board set the new municipal tax rate at 79.7 cents per $100 assessed property value. That’s up almost 39 percent over last year’s rate of 57.3 cents. The increase, Harvey pointed out, was the result of a decision by the voters at March town meeting to tackle an outstanding deficit of about $156,000.

The municipal taxes on a home valued at $200,000 would come to $3,524.60. 

Included in the municipal rate is a very small charge with the label “local agreement” that assists six local disabled military veterans with property taxes, Harvey said. The charge is .19 cents per $100 assessed value -- that’s a fifth of a penny -- up from .18 cents last year. 

The Vermont Veterans Affairs office determines eligibility and qualified U.S. veterans see a reduction in their assessed property value of up to $40,000. The funds raised by this line on everyone’s tax bill including the participating veterans covers the cost of that discount. That would account for just $3.80 in the municipal tax bill for that hypothetical home assessed at $200,000.

The school tax rate -- which accounts for 69 percent of the total annual tax bill -- has increased this year by 4.8 percent to just over $1.76 per $100 assessed property value. That compares with $1.68 last year. 

The school-tax portion of the tax bill for a hypothetical $200,000 home would be $1,594.20 this year. 

For some taxpayers, however, there is the possibility of easing the burden on the school-tax portion of their bills. The state offers relief based on income and Harvey said she expects about 320 or so property owners will qualify for that benefit. 

This year’s allowances for extended income-tax-filing deadlines have resulted in delays by some taxpayers for filing the necessary forms to qualify for school-tax assistance which made it difficult to know the exact number yet who will qualify, she said. Those calculations also will be based on taxpayers’ 2019 income which may be significantly different than their expected 2020 income given the economic impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic.