SWAMPSCOTT — The Select Board discussed proposed tax bills for the fiscal year 2022 during a meeting on Wednesday night.
The town administration’s recommendations for 2022 include a median average single-family tax bill of $7,526 — which is $53 more than it was in 2021 — and a median average condo tax bill of $4,365.
Under this recommendation, the median average for commercial and industrial properties would see a tax bill of $13,699, which is $1,485 higher than 2021.
With these recommendations, the town would allocate $1.55 million of free cash.
Ben Straight, the town’s assessing director, said the total residential class from 2017 to 2022 has increased by 42 percent, and it has increased 10 percent since 2021.
Straight also said that from 2017 to 2022, the value of commercial, industrial and personal property increased 70 percent, from $168.7 million in 2017 to $287.6 million.
“The increase in percentage of the commercial, industrial and personal properties has increased half of a percent from last year to this year,” Straight said. “That doesn’t sound like a lot, but it does make a significant difference when we’re shifting the tax rate.”
Town Administrator Sean Fitzgerald said that in 2012, Swampscott had the third highest average single-family tax bill in Essex County, but that has since changed.
“There are now eight communities that are higher than Swampscott and it reflects a trend that Swampscott actually is moving more towards the middle of the pack,” Fitzgerald said. “It reflects efforts to really make Swampscott more affordable.”
In 2021, Swampscott was $1,184 higher than the average Essex County property taxes, which is down from $2,600 in 2013.
“We have been historically about 17 or 18 percent higher than average in Essex County with commercial-industrial values because we’re a small town and don’t have as many commercial properties and they’ve become that much more valuable,” Fitzgerald said. “We want our commercial properties to really be valuable and we’ve been focused on really trying to grow that commercial piece.”
A vote to pass these tax recommendations will take place on Dec. 1; the Select Board will also vote on the small commercial and residential exemptions on that date.
A special Town Meeting on Dec. 13 will then include a discussion on the opportunity to allocate free cash to help offset the tax impact on residents.
Following that, the Department of Revenue will review the tax-rate recap and rate certification before the third quarter tax bills for FY2022 are mailed on Dec. 31.
