Lanesborough Finance Committee to Meet Assessor on Split Tax Rate Question in September

LANESBOROUGH -- August 4, 2025, Lanesborough Finance Committee plans September assessor session to weigh split tax rate. The three-member quorum, Chair, Julie Baker, and Vera Farrell, with David Parks and Kristen Toole absent, held a working session August 4 focused on orientation and planning, taking no formal votes. The committee will invite the town assessor to its September meeting to present data on the residential-to-commercial tax split, including trend data for the past five to ten years and what-if scenarios showing the dollar impact of modest and aggressive rate changes; the Select Board holds authority to set the rate and typically acts in November. Farrell asked the assessor to model "two or three scenarios" so members can see "what they look like in real actual dollars and numbers." A near-final FY25 revenue and expenditure report, showing residential property at 83.5 percent of assessed value against 10.6 percent commercial at the $17.67-per-$1,000 rate, was circulated for reference. The committee's next meeting is a joint session with the Select Board on August 11 to discuss the Baker Hill Road District funding situation and its potential fiscal impact on Lanesborough in FY26.