The Jaffrey tax rate has been set at $34.83 per $1,000 of value, an increase of $1.83 cents over the 2018 rate.
The biggest increase is in the municipal portion of the tax rate, which rose from $10.53 per $1,000 of value to $12.09. According to Town Manager Jon Frederick, the increase is the result of both increases in the town’s budget and warrant articles, as well as less revenue being used to offset the tax rate compared to last year.
The budget passed by taxpayers in March was about $167,000, or 2.75 percent, more than the previous year’s, Frederick said.
In addition to that, taxpayers also passed warrant articles that included about $371,000 more spending than the previous year, mostly into capital reserve accounts for the town’s buildings, bridges, and department vehicles.
Also, last year, the Select Board used about $560,000 in surplus funds to offset the tax rate, which Frederick said was unusual. This year, the board returned to its usual offset of $435,000.
Other areas of the tax rate also contributed to the increase. The county portion of the tax rate increased from $4.56 to $5.03.
The state education portion increased from $2.30 to $2.42.
The only portion of the tax rate to decrease was the local education portion, which dropped from $15.61 to $15.29.
With the current tax rate, a home valued at $200,000 would be taxed at $6,966. The same home, if the value was not adjusted, would have been taxed at $6,600 in 2018.