How to Dispute Your Property Tax Bill

Property tax abatement applications must be filed by Feb. 1 with the assessors office.

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How to Dispute Your Property Tax Bill

Property tax abatement applications must be filed by Feb. 1 with the assessors office.

If you have good reason to believe your new tax assessment is too high, you still have time to lodge your dispute with the city. The deadline to file a tax abatement with the Peabody Assessors office is Feb. 1. The assessors office says applications must be filed either via U.S. Postal Service or hand delivered to the office. The form itself can be found online here or at assessors office at City Hall or you can call the office at 978-538-5716. Petitions are heard by the Board of Assessors. Property assessments for Fiscal 2013 are based on values as of Jan. 1, 2012, although homeowners may have seen some change in those values due to the mandated 10-year re-valuation conducted last year. The city also budgets money each year in …

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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 Officials to Set New Tax Rates Next Week

An early projection from city assessors is that the average single-family property tax bill will increase by $88 for next year.

The City Council will meet in a special session with Mayor Ted Bettencourt and city finance officials next Tuesday to set the new property tax rates for homeowners and businesses in Peabody. City assessors said this past summer during budget talks that property values had remained relatively stable from the year before and projected an $88 average tax increase for single-family homes to cover part of the budget increase. Without any major changes to that financial plan, it would ensure residential taxes in Peabody remain among the lowest in the region with most homeowners paying less than $3,500 a year in property taxes. The increase last year was $70 on average. The value of an average single-family home in Peabody for 2012 was $285,800. …

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