Wayland Selectmen Set Uniform FY12 Tax Rate

The average Wayland property owner will pay less in FY12 property taxes than they did in FY11 thanks to a vote at Special Town Meeting and the Board of Selectmen’s subsequent approval of a tax rate of $19.01 per $1,000 of assessed value.

The average Wayland residential home value in FY12 is $593,050, which means the average taxpayer will owe $11,274. For comparison, the average home value in FY11 was $592,285 and was taxed at a rate of $19.35 per $1,000 of value for an average tax bill of $11,460.

At Monday night’s Board of Selectmen meeting, Finance Director Michael DiPietro discussed the 2012 tax recapitulation sheet with selectmen. Prior to the recent Special Town Meeting action, the FY12 tax rate was estimated at $20.71 and would have amounted to a $12,266 tax bill on the average home.

The lower rate of $19.01 was the amount anticipated by voters at Special Town Meeting on Nov. 17 when they approved an additional $4 million be taken from the Town’s free cash to fund the 2012 budget.

However, the rate, Board of Assessors Chair Jayson Brodie pointed out, couldn’t be finalized until additional data was collected and assessed.

“It’s a long effort,” Brodie told selectmen.

The state Department of Revenue must now certify the tax rate before Wayland can distribute tax bills. Town Administrator Fred Turkington said the goal remains to mail the tax bills before the holidays so that they arrive in mailboxes by the typical Jan. 1 date.

Also on Monday, selectmen voted to maintain a uniform tax rate for residential and commercial property in town, citing a desire to attract business as Wayland Town Center is developed and to help the small businesses already in town.

Board of Assessors member Bruce Cummings said there are about 135 commercial properties among a total of about 5,000 properties in Wayland. “To split the rate means you have to put this massive amount of cost on small businesses,” he said.

“For the time being, the commercial tax base is very low,” added Board of Selectmen Chair Tom Fay.  “[The] last thing we want to do is scare away business.”