Peabody Homeowners Can Expect $95 Hike on Average Tax Bills

The increase is about 2.8 percent on residential taxpayers while the city also offsets a larger hike with $1 million in reserves.

The average Peabody homeowner can expect to see a $95 increase in his or her tax bill under the new tax rates approved by the City Council Tuesday night. Meanwhile, the average commercial property owner can expect an increase of $743. That's a 2.8 percent hike for residential and 2.4 percent for commercial, which translates into an average residential tax bill of $3,473 versus an average commercial bill of $32,098. "I think this tax classification is mindful of the [economic] situation that's out there," said Mayor Ted Bettencourt. "We're in some difficult financial times...people are struggling," he said, adding that at the time same time, the city needs to maintain services and be in good shape to take on some major capital projects on …

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Kristin Caf

9:02 am on Thursday, December 13, 2012

At least Lynn is trying to make a comeback. If the story on Chronicle is any indication, anyway. They are doing what they can to bring back the character and history of downtown and attract out-of-towners to their city for events - concerts, dining, etc.   more ›

City Offers Paperless Billing to Taxpayers

One more small step into the digital age for city government.

Peabody taxpayers have had the option of paying their city taxes via credit card for a while now, but starting Oct. 1, they'll be able to cut out the paper trail entirely. Mayor Ted Bettencourt's office announced this week that residents will be able to sign up for paperless billing on the city's website for real estate, personal property, excise, water and sewer taxes. It will be just like the options you probably have for most other bills you pay these days -- you will be able to access payment histories, schedule direct debit and credit card payments using a smartphone, link multiple bills to one username and receive email notifications when statements are ready to be viewed and paid. There's no registration required to enroll and all …

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John Castelluccio

1:22 pm on Thursday, September 20, 2012

Mike, that's a good point you raise. Just to clarify for readers, the city does say, however, it is not profiting from those fees. Under Payment and Processing Fees, the fine print states those fees go directly to the electronic payment processor handling the system for the city.   more ›

You Ask...Patch Answers

Taxes, Taxes, Taxes

All you wanted to know and then some...

Every week we set out to answer a question submitted by one of our readers as part of our You Ask...Patch Answers column. So Christmas is coming and that means your next tax bill will be in the mail soon  -- likely to arrive as a late present in the post-holiday catharsis. Are you one of those wondering why the statement, as in year's past, won’t exactly reflect the projected tax bill increase by city officials, even if your home is close to the average single-family value in Peabody? That's most likely due to the quarterly billing cycle the city uses, actually. Or perhaps you have some other questions shared by a number of fellow taxpayers on how exactly your bills are calculated? The best place to look first for answers is the handy …

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