ATKINSON — The town's portion of the tax rate is going up — 21 cents per $1,000 of valuation — for the first time in years.
The state Department of Revenue Administration confirmed the tax rate at $14.86 per $1,000 of valuation last week, selectmen Chairman Paul Sullivan said. That's a 76-cent increase over last year's rate.
The owner of a $300,000 home would see a $4,458 tax bill under the new rate, a $228 increase.
"We wanted to keep it down," Sullivan said. "We took $450,000 from the general fund and applied it to help with the tax rate."
That's something the selectmen have done before, Sullivan said. This year they left a balance of $899,200 in the general fund for anticipated expenditures and to make sure they retained at least a 5 percent savings for the future, he said.
The town's portion of the tax rate is $2.15 per $1,000 of valuation, up from $1.94. The local school rate increased 67 cents, from $9.02 to $9.69.
The state education component dropped from $2.28 to $2.16. The county rate remained steady at 86 cents per $1,000 of valuation.
