Marlborough sets FY25 tax rates, lowering residential and commercial bills

MARLBOROUGH — December 2, 2024 — Marlborough sets FY25 tax rates at $9.86 residential and $16.96 commercial under a 1.45 shift. The City Council voted 10-0 Monday to adopt a residential factor of 0.8431, lowering both rates from last year's $10.24 and $17.66 even as aggregate residential value rose roughly $600 million and commercial value fell $14 million. The average single-family bill will climb about $183 to $5,850 — well below Southborough's $797 and Hopkinton's $580 FY25 increases. Council President Michael H. Ossing called the city's $68.9 million excess levy capacity "one of the best in the commonwealth" but warned of a $7-8 million FY26 budget gap, bonds for an $18 million Westside public safety facility and a roughly $100 million Richer School, and a $160 million OPEB liability. A $500,000 overlay transfer passed 10-0; a $41,775 sale-of-graves transfer passed 9-1 over Ward 1 Councilor Mark A. Vital's objection.