Weymouth Average Tax Bill Rising 7 Percent, Chapman Debt Driving More Than Half

WEYMOUTH -- December 15, 2021, Weymouth officials explain fiscal 2022 tax bills rising about 7 percent on homes valued nearly 10 percent higher. Chief of Staff Ted Langell and Principal Assessor Trish O'Kane appeared on the December 15 episode of Town Talk with Ted to walk residents through the rate-setting process after the Town Council approved the Board of Assessors' tax classification recommendation. Total assessed property value in town crossed $10 billion, up nearly $1 billion, with the average single-family home assessed at $467,000, a 9.7 percent jump. Of the roughly $360 average bill increase, about $191 traces directly to the Chapman Middle School debt exclusion, which voters backed in 2018 with 75 percent support and which adds $0.41 per $1,000 of assessed value to the residential rate, a smaller hit than the projected $240 because the town saved more than $1 million in interest costs. The town's commercial tax shift was set at 148, just below the maximum of 150, absorbing some burden from residential taxpayers. Abatement applications are due no later than 4:30 p.m. February 1.