HALIFAX — September 8, 2026 — Following the recommendation of municipal assessing officials, the Halifax Select Board voted unanimously Tuesday to maintain a single unified tax rate for Fiscal Year 2027, rejecting a split rate shift that would have disproportionately burdened the town’s small commercial base to deliver marginal residential savings.
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Halifax property owners will continue to share an equalized property tax rate across all classes this coming fiscal year. At an annual public classification hearing on Tuesday evening, Principal Assessor Caroline Vogt and members of the Board of Assessors presented the town’s valuation trends and tax rate calculations, advising the board to maintain a single residential factor of 1.0.
Residential property constitutes 91.32% of Halifax’s total property valuation, while commercial, industrial, and personal property combined account for only 8.67%. Townwide real estate and personal property valuation rose by 7.2% year-over-year, reaching roughly $1.6 billion. For FY27, the estimated base tax rate is projected at $13.46 per $1,000 of assessed value. The average single-family home assessment grew 6.87% to approximately $658,000, resulting in an estimated annual tax bill of $7,655 (an increase of about 2% or $150 to $160). Condominium assessments saw an average increase of 5.82% to $341,000, generating an average annual tax bill of $4,600 (a 1% increase).
Assessing officials illustrated that adopting the maximum allowable 150% shift would have lowered the residential rate by just 64 cents—from $13.46 to $12.82 per thousand—saving the typical homeowner roughly $363 a year. However, that shift would have driven the commercial, industrial, and personal property rate up sharply to $20.19 per thousand, imposing thousands of dollars in added annual costs on local business owners.
The board concurred that shifting taxes onto Halifax’s modest retail corridor would hinder local commerce without providing substantial taxpayer relief. Beyond voting for a uniform factor of 1.0, the Select Board voted against implementing an open space discount (noting the town has no qualifying parcels), a residential exemption, and a small commercial exemption.
“It does look like it’s a great change in between from going residential to commercial, but if you went by assessed value and figuring out the tax rate, it would only save residential properties a couple hundred dollars, but it would burden the commercial properties by more than a couple thousand for their tax bill.” — Caroline Vogt, Principal Assessor
