The City Council on Nov. 20 voted 7-0, with President Alex Jarrett of Ward 5 absent and Quaverly Rothenberg of Ward 3 abstaining, to keep a single tax rate.
That means all residential, commercial, industrial, and personal property will be taxed at the rate of $13.67 per $1,000 of assessed value during the fiscal year that began July 1. That is down 1.86 percent from the rate of $13.93 per $1,000 of assessed value used in the fiscal year that ended June 30.
However, because the assessed value of property has increased, the average tax bill is up by about 4.5 percent this year. For example, the bill for the owner of a single-family home valued at $571,800 is about $7,816 this year.
Information about exemptions that may reduce property taxes is available here: https://www.northamptonma.gov/1343/Personal-Statutory-Exemptions
New stop signs
The City Council on Nov. 20 voted 7-0, with President Alex Jarrett of Ward 5 and Quaverly Rothenberg of Ward 3 absent, to approve an ordinance that makes the intersection of Prospect Avenue, Blackberry Lane and Warburton Way a four-way stop. New stop signs will be installed in both directions on Prospect Avenue and on Blackberry Lane. Warburton Way, a private road, already has a stop sign at that intersection.
The ordinance is available here:
https://northamptonma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Item/26069?fileID=210881
Elsewhere in Ward 1, the Transportation and Parking Commission on Nov. 18 voted unanimously to recommend an all-way stop at the intersection of Finn and Prospect streets. New stop signs would be installed on Finn Street and the southbound side of Prospect Street. There is a stop sign now on the northbound side of Prospect Street.
That proposed ordinance, which is expected to be considered by the City Council in December, is available here:
Both ordinances resulted from a stop sign safety study conducted by Fuss & O’Neill engineering firm of Springfield, the city’s consultant. That study is available here:
https://northamptonma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/34861/Northampton-Stop-Sign-Safety-Study-2025?bidId=
Happy Thanksgiving!!
Stan