The OTHER “Yes” vote

Charlestown voters not only approved (by an 11 point margin) the proposal to build decent sanitary facilities, they also approved the overall Charlestown budget for the upcoming fiscal year. The vote was 360 YES to 217 NO, a 25 point spread in support.

Voted NO on Question 2 - prefers au naturel

Voters approved the $11.3 million requested for town operations. Charlestown’s budget also includes another $14.3 million as our mandated share of the cost of running the Chariho school district.

The new budget sets aside an additional $100,000 to cover litigation costs. It may take that much and more to cover the town’s legal expenses to defend against Council member Lisa DeBello’s legal action against the town. The budget also contains $150,000 Charlestown is willing to spend to prop up the property values of Ninigret Pond waterfront.

By approving the new budget, voters also approved an increase in the property tax rate from its present $7.48 per $1000 in valuation to $9.04, an increase of 21%. But the tax rate would have had to go up by at least 15% anyway, just to make up for the loss of $400 million of Charlestown’s tax base due to reassessments that reflect nose-diving real estate prices.

When you get your new tax bill early next month, your actual tax bill will depend on how much your property value changed when it was reassessed.

The owners of Charlestown’s most valuable property ($1 million to $7.6 million range) will probably see little or no change to their tax bottom line. Properties in that range were reassessed lower by almost the same percentage as the tax increase.

By contrast, middle-range Charlestown property values were reduced by an average of 13%, so, on average, these property owners will see an average 8% increase in their bottom line.

Despite the downward trend in real estate, over 500 Charlestown properties had their assessments increased. The new tax bills for these property owners will be higher by 21% plus the percentage of their assessment increase. One family we know faces a 61% jump in their taxes as a result of this arithmetic.

Of course, averages are interesting but what really matters is what happened to your property. For that, you can use the unique Progressive Charlestown Magic Tax Calculator to get yourself mentally prepared for your new tax bill.

Between now and tax bill time, we’re going to introduce you to ways you might be able to soften the blow. Charlestown’s tax ordinances provide for tax breaks for veterans, the elderly, the blind and disabled. Also, there is a new ordinance that helps people in financial distress who fall behind on their tax payments. Right now, Charlestown grants almost 1300 tax exemptions to qualified residents (some folks qualify for more than one exemption – there is no limit).

So, first, pull out your new tax assessment notice, look yourself up on the town's property database and plug the numbers into our Magic Tax Calculator. Then watch for upcoming articles where we discuss ways to deal with your tax bill.

In the meantime, e-mail us at progressivecharlestown@gmail.com if you have any questions.