West Stockbridge — For fiscal year 2026 (FY2026), West Stockbridge homeowners will see about a $510 year-over-year increase in their tax bills for an average single-family residence.
As in previous years, the town’s Select Board unanimously approved a single tax rate for all property classifications during its December 11 rate-setting hearing as required by Massachusetts law. That rate for FY2026 is $10.38 per $1,000 valuation, a 76 cent increase over the $9.62 per $1,000 valuation set for FY2025. In FY2024, the single tax rate for the town was $9.58.
A copy of the Tax Classification Hearing calculations can be found here.
The average value of a single-family home in West Stockbridge remained the same, year over year, at $671,500. The average tax bill for that property class was $6,460 for FY2025 and is anticipated to be $6,970 for FY2026, an increase of $510, or 7.9 percent.
“The values that appear on taxpayers’ tax bills in January reflect our estimate of value on January 1, 2025, looking at the 12-month period since the calendar year [20]24 as the basis for determining where we need to take our values,” said Regional Tax Assessor Harald Scheid. He explained that the town witnessed “some very modest increases to the real estate market” in 2024, leading to a decision to keep FY2026 values the same as FY2025.
But Scheid hinted that changes may be in store over the next 12 months. “There’s some indication, looking ahead at calendar year 2025, that the market is, at best, holding its own,” he said. “There’s some indication in some sectors that property values may be softening a little bit. We’re all aware of the higher interest rates and the economy which, for years, has been poised for a recession.”
For Scheid, the recent quarter-point interest rate reduction by the Federal Reserve System is significant and “usually signals that the federal government is anticipating at least a nationwide recession.”
West Stockbridge’s FY2026 tax levy of $6.59 million represents the funds needed for the town’s government to function per the approved municipal budget. This is an increase of $510,175, or 8.4 percent, over the FY2025 levy of $6.08 million. The FY2026 levy is based on the aggregate value of West Stockbridge property.
The majority of the town’s $635 million aggregate property value is held in its residential property class valued at $593 million; approximately $19 million is held in its commercial class; $18.9 million is held in its personal property class; and $3.84 million is held in its industrial property class. West Stockbridge’s tax-exempt properties tally approximately $26.1 million.
The hearing results will be submitted to the Massachusetts Department of Revenue for approval.
