Freetown Adopts 1.7350 Tax Shift, Seeking Equal Burden on Residents and Businesses

FREETOWN — December 10, 2025 — Freetown Select Board adopts higher tax shift to equalize residential and commercial burden for FY2026. Meeting jointly with the Board of Assessors on December 10, the three-member Select Board voted unanimously to set a classification shift of 1.7350 and a residential factor of .7999 — higher than the prior year's 1.695 shift — after a participant identified as Deb argued the figure would produce roughly equal 5 percent increases for both property classes. Under the adopted shift, the average residential tax bill is projected to rise approximately $261 to $265, compared with $334 under the prior shift; the average commercial bill is estimated to increase about $762. Assessors' staff member Mike noted that average residential assessed values rose 5 to 6 percent this year while commercial values rose about 2 percent, and warned that residents seeking abatements tied to the new commuter rail line face a high evidentiary bar — assessed values are based on a January 1, 2025 date, before rail service began, and applications must be supported by comparable sales data rather than noise or quality-of-life claims.