Fitzwilliam taxes up by 15%
December 6, 2008
Keene Sentinel
FITZWILLIAM — Despite a dip in the town government portion of the tax rate, hikes for the Monadnock Regional School District, Cheshire County and state education tax swelled Fitzwilliam property tax bills this year.
The N.H. Department of Revenue Administration set Fitzwilliam’s tax rate at $23.87 per $1,000 of assessed valuation. This is up $3.12, or 15 percent, from last year’s rate of $20.75.
The largest rate increase reflected in Fitzwilliam’s tax bill was for Cheshire County, which rose 30.5 percent.
In October, Cheshire County Finance Director Sheryl A. Trombly told The Sentinel the county needed to raise about $5 million more in taxes this year.
Much of that increase, she said, is for the county’s new jail, which is being built off Route 101 in Keene.
Fitzwilliam taxpayers are also seeing a higher bill for the Monadnock Regional School District — rising from $3,319,534 to $4,129,114.
Earl H. Wammack, business manager for N.H. School Administrative Unit 38 — which includes the Monadnock district — said every town in the district saw an increase in their local education tax rates this year, most of them by a fairly significant amount.
Among the reasons Wammack cited was the passage of such big-ticket warrant articles as a contract for support staff in March and a teachers contract in September.
To a lesser degree, Wammack said the district’s towns — Fitzwilliam, Gilsum, Richmond, Roxbury, Sullivan, Swanzey and Troy — are seeing hikes because of Surry’s withdrawal from the district in July.
Meanwhile, Fitzwilliam’s overall rate increase is being softened slightly by a drop in the town portion of the tax rate of 1.3 percent.
Carmen M. Yon, chairman of the board of selectmen, said selectmen tried to keep the budget — a 6.1 percent increase from last year — as much in line as possible. In the meantime, Fitzwilliam taxpayers have benefited from the increase in Fitzwilliam’s property tax base, thanks to the ongoing construction of a substation for Public Service of New Hampshire on Route 12.
Susan E. Blothenburg, community relations manager for the company, said the substation will use 9 acres of land.
“It will allow us to (bring) more reliable electric service to the region,” according to Blothenburg, who said the company hopes to have the substation completely in service by late spring.
According to Town Administrator Paula W. Thompson, Fitzwilliam taxpayers also benefited from selectmen’s use of $100,000 of unreserved fund balance to offset taxes.
But despite this spending, Yon said, anticipated budget savings and increased revenue are keeping the amount left over in the unreserved fund balance level with last year.
Fitzwilliam’s ratio of assessment is 96.2 percent, according to Thompson. This means that a property with a market value of $200,000 would likely be assessed at $192,400 and would pay taxes on that amount.
Of every $23.87, Fitzwilliam collects in taxes:
u $4.43 will go to town government, down 6 cents , or 1.3 percent from last year’s rate of $4.49. This tax will raise a total of $1,251,494.
u $14.61 will go to the Monadnock Regional School District, up $2.48, or 20.4 percent from last year’s $12.13. This tax will raise $4,129,114.
u $2.26 will go to the state education tax, up 10 cents, or 4.6 percent, from last year’s $2.16. This tax will raise $601,767.
u $2.57 will go to Cheshire County government, up 60 cents, or 30.5 percent, from last year’s $1.97. This tax — which will raise $726,266 — will support county expenses such as Maplewood Nursing Home and the county jail.
Homes in the Fitzwilliam Village Water District will pay an additional 44 cents per $1,000 of assessed value.. This is up 9 cents, or 25.7 percent, from last year’s additional rate of 35 cents per $1,000 of assessed value.
Fitzwilliam tax bills were mailed on Nov. 21 and are due Dec. 22, Thompson said.