Growth and the tax rate
lunenburgbudgetproject.org — written by the Lunenburg Budget Project, an independent tool for residents. Not affiliated with the Town of Lunenburg, the School Committee or the school district. The data this page is computed from: /data/topics/growth-and-tax-rate.json
Also under Budget crisis
The tax rate followed what existing homes were worth (-0.88), not how much was built (-0.16).
| Existing property, change in value (ours) | New development, share of the base | Residential tax rate, change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY1994 | -1.4% | 1.6% | 5.3% |
| FY1995 | -3.4% | 2.8% | 5.5% |
| FY1996 | -1.2% | 4.4% | 3.6% |
| FY1997 | 0.8% | 2.0% | 11.2% |
| FY1998 | 1.5% | 2.0% | -1.6% |
| FY1999 | 2.7% | 2.4% | -2.0% |
| FY2000 | 10.9% | 3.0% | -6.6% |
| FY2001 | 7.5% | 3.2% | -4.0% |
| FY2002 | 6.6% | 2.9% | -2.2% |
| FY2003 | 22.3% | 2.7% | -15.9% |
| FY2004 | 4.9% | 2.8% | 8.2% |
| FY2005 | 7.6% | 3.2% | -6.1% |
| FY2006 | 12.9% | 2.2% | -7.0% |
| FY2007 | -0.7% | 1.9% | -2.3% |
| FY2008 | 1.5% | 1.4% | 0.8% |
| FY2009 | -2.8% | 0.8% | 6.6% |
| FY2010 | -6.2% | 0.8% | 8.9% |
| FY2011 | -10.3% | 1.1% | 13.8% |
| FY2012 | -1.9% | 2.5% | 4.2% |
| FY2013 | -0.8% | 1.7% | 2.8% |
| FY2014 | -1.8% | 1.5% | 4.0% |
| FY2015 | 0.4% | 1.3% | 1.8% |
| FY2016 | 2.9% | 1.7% | 7.0% |
| FY2017 | 1.3% | 2.1% | 1.9% |
| FY2018 | 3.9% | 1.9% | -1.4% |
| FY2019 | 8.1% | 1.8% | -5.2% |
| FY2020 | 6.0% | 1.4% | -3.0% |
| FY2021 | 4.1% | 1.1% | -2.1% |
| FY2022 | 5.5% | 1.5% | -3.1% |
| FY2023 | 20.4% | 0.8% | -14.9% |
| FY2024 | 4.2% | 2.0% | -3.6% |
| FY2025 | 3.6% | 1.7% | 1.8% |
| FY2026 | 1.7% | 1.5% | 0.2% |
Town annual reports to FY2002, then the Division of Local Services. The rate mirrors the first line, not the second.
Sources [1][2][3][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28]
Why the rate moves the way it does
The town may raise its property tax levy by 2.5% a year (Proposition 2½), plus the tax on new construction, plus anything voters add by override or debt exclusion.
New construction is taxed at the previous year’s rate, and that tax is added to the limit. It adds value and levy together, so on its own it leaves the rate about where it was.
The rate is the levy divided by the value of everything taxed. When existing property gains value faster than the levy grows, the same levy is spread thinner and the rate falls.
Source [3]
1 · The facts
-0.88
rate against existing values, FY1994–FY2026 (ours)
our estimate
-0.16
rate against development, same years (ours)
our estimate
2.5%
growth in the levy limit the statute allows
law
22.3%
existing values, FY2003, the biggest rise
our estimate
-15.9%
the rate the same year
2.73%
added by development that year
40%
average home value after inflation, FY1991–FY2026
our estimate
85%
average tax bill after inflation, same years
our estimate
$948,136
override won for FY2025, the latest
—
debt exclusions, which also raise the rate
not published
2 · What it shows
- 1
The rate tracked existing home values (-0.88), not development (-0.16).
What it means: Building more does not lower the rate on its own. When existing homes gain value, the rate falls; when they lose it, the rate climbs.
- 2
In FY2003 existing values rose 22.3% and the rate fell 15.9%; development added 2.73%.
What it means: Development that year was 2.73% of the base, against 1.87% in a typical year; the fall in the rate tracks the 22.3% rise in existing values.
- 3
New growth pays at last year’s rate and adds to the limit beyond 2.5%.
What it means: What development buys is revenue for the town without raising existing bills. That is its case, and it is a real one; a lower rate is not.
- 4
After inflation the average home rose 40% and the average bill 85%.
What it means: A falling rate has not meant a falling bill. The FY1991 bill, grown only with inflation, would be $4,030 today; the actual bill is $7,444.
Sources [1][2][3][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28]
| New value certified as new growth | Tax rate, as a percent of value | |
|---|---|---|
| FY1994 | $7,656,550 | 1.52% |
| FY1995 | $13,105,604 | 1.60% |
| FY1996 | $20,569,309 | 1.66% |
| FY1997 | $9,758,366 | 1.85% |
| FY1998 | $9,983,300 | 1.82% |
| FY1999 | $12,012,200 | 1.78% |
| FY2000 | $16,130,842 | 1.66% |
| FY2001 | $19,842,600 | 1.59% |
| FY2002 | $19,769,200 | 1.56% |
| FY2003 | $20,190,107 | 1.31% |
| FY2004 | $26,050,700 | 1.42% |
| FY2005 | $31,881,000 | 1.33% |
| FY2006 | $24,399,133 | 1.24% |
| FY2007 | $23,809,803 | 1.21% |
| FY2008 | $17,455,441 | 1.22% |
| FY2009 | $11,297,476 | 1.30% |
| FY2010 | $9,982,315 | 1.42% |
| FY2011 | $13,291,045 | 1.62% |
| FY2012 | $27,729,619 | 1.68% |
| FY2013 | $19,124,255 | 1.73% |
| FY2014 | $17,200,564 | 1.80% |
| FY2015 | $14,590,507 | 1.83% |
| FY2016 | $19,697,381 | 1.96% |
| FY2017 | $24,883,011 | 2.00% |
| FY2018 | $24,098,920 | 1.97% |
| FY2019 | $23,986,590 | 1.87% |
| FY2020 | $19,605,489 | 1.81% |
| FY2021 | $17,038,185 | 1.77% |
| FY2022 | $24,253,330 | 1.72% |
| FY2023 | $13,634,891 | 1.46% |
| FY2024 | $43,106,729 | 1.41% |
| FY2025 | $37,396,296 | 1.44% |
| FY2026 | $36,117,700 | 1.44% |
Town reports, then the state: new growth by year, and the rate as a percent (a $14.39 rate is 1.44%).
Sources [1][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28]
Home value and tax bill against inflation
Average tax bill
Grown instead by Social Security’s cost-of-living adjustments, the FY1991 bill would be $3,997 in FY2026. Inflation here is the Boston-area consumer price index.
Average single-family home, assessed value
What it means: The FY1991 bill, $1,637, grown only with inflation would be $4,030 today; the actual bill is $7,444.
Sources [5][6][7][8][9][10][11]
What this page does not separate
Debt exclusions, which raise the levy outside the limit. The state’s vote file used here carries overrides only.
Overrides passed for FY1994, FY1997, FY2025. Each raises the levy, and so the rate, in its year; the table marks them.
Our existing-value line also absorbs revaluation, abatements and class shifts, which the state’s files do not separate from market change.
Source [4]
Related
| Year | Existing property, value change (ours) | Development, share of base | New growth value | Residential rate | Rate change | Override won |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2026 | 1.7% | 1.53% | $36,117,700 | $14.39 | 0.2% | |
| FY2025 | 3.6% | 1.67% | $37,396,296 | $14.36 | 1.8% | override, $948,136 |
| FY2024 | 4.2% | 2.04% | $43,106,729 | $14.10 | -3.6% | |
| FY2023 | 20.4% | 0.78% | $13,634,891 | $14.62 | -14.9% | |
| FY2022 | 5.5% | 1.49% | $24,253,330 | $17.19 | -3.1% | |
| FY2021 | 4.1% | 1.10% | $17,038,185 | $17.74 | -2.1% | |
| FY2020 | 6.0% | 1.36% | $19,605,489 | $18.12 | -3.0% | |
| FY2019 | 8.1% | 1.83% | $23,986,590 | $18.68 | -5.2% | |
| FY2018 | 3.9% | 1.94% | $24,098,920 | $19.70 | -1.4% | |
| FY2017 | 1.3% | 2.07% | $24,883,011 | $19.98 | 1.9% | |
| FY2016 | 2.9% | 1.72% | $19,697,381 | $19.61 | 7.0% | |
| FY2015 | 0.4% | 1.29% | $14,590,507 | $18.32 | 1.8% | |
| FY2014 | -1.8% | 1.52% | $17,200,564 | $17.99 | 4.0% | |
| FY2013 | -0.8% | 1.71% | $19,124,255 | $17.30 | 2.8% | |
| FY2012 | -1.9% | 2.49% | $27,729,619 | $16.83 | 4.2% | |
| FY2011 | -10.3% | 1.08% | $13,291,045 | $16.16 | 13.8% | |
| FY2010 | -6.2% | 0.77% | $9,982,315 | $14.20 | 8.9% | |
| FY2009 | -2.8% | 0.85% | $11,297,476 | $13.04 | 6.6% | |
| FY2008 | 1.5% | 1.36% | $17,455,441 | $12.23 | 0.8% | |
| FY2007 | -0.7% | 1.87% | $23,809,803 | $12.13 | -2.3% | |
| FY2006 | 12.9% | 2.21% | $24,399,133 | $12.41 | -7.0% | |
| FY2005 | 7.6% | 3.20% | $31,881,000 | $13.34 | -6.1% | |
| FY2004 | 4.9% | 2.82% | $26,050,700 | $14.20 | 8.2% | |
| FY2003 | 22.3% | 2.73% | $20,190,107 | $13.12 | -15.9% |
Existing change is ours: total value less new growth, against last year’s total. Every other column is the state’s.
* Not from the books: a figure somebody assembled, not a printout from the accounting system.
Sources [1][2][3][4][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28]
Sources
- [1]Division of Local Services — new growth, all years
- [2]Division of Local Services — assessed values by class, all years
- [3]Division of Local Services — tax rates by class, all years
- [4]Division of Local Services — override and underride votes
- [5]Massachusetts Division of Local Services — Average single family tax bill, all years
- [6]Massachusetts Division of Local Services — Tax rates by class, all years
- [7]U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Consumer Price Index, Boston-Cambridge-Newton, 1990-1999
- [8]U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Consumer Price Index, Boston-Cambridge-Newton, 2000-2009
- [9]U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Consumer Price Index, Boston-Cambridge-Newton, 2010-2019
- [10]U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Consumer Price Index, Boston-Cambridge-Newton, 2020-2026
- [11]Social Security Administration — Social Security cost-of-living adjustments, 1975-2026
- [12]Town of Lunenburg — 2005 annual town report, Assessors (FY2000–FY2002)
- [13]Town of Lunenburg — 2006 annual town report, Assessors (FY2000–FY2002)
- [14]Town of Lunenburg — 2007 annual town report, Assessors (FY2000–FY2002)
- [15]Town of Lunenburg — 2008 annual town report, Assessors (FY2001–FY2002)
- [16]Town of Lunenburg — 2009 annual town report, Assessors (FY2002–FY2002)
- [17]Town of Lunenburg — 2010 annual town report, Assessors (FY2002–FY2002)
- [18]Town of Lunenburg — 1995 annual town report, Assessors (FY1990–FY1995)
- [19]Town of Lunenburg — 1996 annual town report, Assessors (FY1990–FY1996)
- [20]Town of Lunenburg — 1997 annual town report, Assessors (FY1991–FY1997)
- [21]Town of Lunenburg — 1998 annual town report, Assessors (FY1994–FY1998)
- [22]Town of Lunenburg — 1999 annual town report, Assessors (FY1995–FY1999)
- [23]Town of Lunenburg — 2000 annual town report, Assessors (FY1995–FY2000)
- [24]Town of Lunenburg — 2001 annual town report, Assessors (FY1995–FY2001)
- [25]Town of Lunenburg — 2002 annual town report, Assessors (FY1995–FY2002)
- [26]Town of Lunenburg — 2003 annual town report, Assessors (FY1995–FY2002)
- [27]Town of Lunenburg — 2004 annual town report, Assessors (FY1996–FY2002)
- [28]Lunenburg Budget Project — report-new-growth-history.csv (every figure, its edition, line and check)