MATTAPOISETT Mattapoisett property owners get their say Tuesday, Nov. 17, on how next year's tax bills are divided, at a Select Board hearing that comes before the fiscal 2027 tax rate is set.
The hearing is at 6:15 p.m. in the Training Room at the Fire Station, 62 County Road, and on Zoom, under a notice stamped by the town clerk Nov. 4. It is "for the purpose of allocating the local property tax levy among the five property classes for the Fiscal Year 2027," the notice says, and taxpayers "may present oral or written comments."
The vote touches every tax bill in town. The average single-family home in Mattapoisett was valued at $805,060 last year and paid $8,244, up $232 from the year before and $835 from fiscal 2023, state Division of Local Services figures show. At last year's rate, each $100,000 of value cost $1,024, and every 10 cents on the rate works out to about $81 on the average home, by our math.
What the board decides
The five classes are residential, open space, commercial, industrial and personal property. The board can keep one rate for all of them or shift part of the tax from homes to businesses, and state law requires the hearing before the state approves a rate, with the assessors laying out the fiscal effect of each option.
Mattapoisett has used a single rate for every class it taxes since at least fiscal 2023, state records show. That rate was $11.25 in fiscal 2023, $10.51 in fiscal 2024, $10.76 in fiscal 2025 and $10.24 last year. Last year the rate fell 52 cents while the average home's value rose $60,466, and the average bill still went up.
How other South Coast communities do it
| Community | Homes | Businesses |
|---|---|---|
| Mattapoisett | $10.24 | $10.24 |
| Marion | $8.87 | $8.87 |
| Somerset | $12.93 | $25.24 |
| New Bedford | $10.95 | $21.80 |
Marion, whose average single-family bill of $8,908 last year was the South Coast's highest by state figures, holds its continued classification hearing the same evening, at 6 p.m. at the Music Hall. Rochester's fiscal 2027 rate is already set at $10.62, its first increase since 2017.
The money behind the rate
The state has certified $51.7 million in new construction and improvements in Mattapoisett for fiscal 2027, which adds $528,910 to the town's tax limit, and homes made up about 75% of that added tax, as we reported Oct. 29. The limit rises 4.3%, from about $29.2 million to about $30.4 million, before debt that voters excluded, by our math from the state's formula. Last year the town raised $30,190,324, including that debt. That was $47,509 under the most it could levy without an override.
Voters meet first, Monday, Nov. 9, at 6:30 p.m. at the Old Rochester Regional High School auditorium, 135 Marion Road, on a warrant that includes a water and sewer building, Main Street design and free cash. Town Administrator Michael Lorenco said in an email Nov. 2 that none of the articles would add to the property tax levy, and the building would be repaid through water and sewer rates or department funds.
How to weigh in
Taxpayers can present oral or written comments at the hearing, in person or on Zoom, the notice says. The Zoom meeting ID and passcode are on the notice in the town's Agenda Center. Town Hall is at 16 Main St., and its main number is 508-758-4100.
After the hearing, the board votes on the split, and the tax rate then goes to the state for approval before bills at the new rate go out.
Label: Reported by us, from the town's posted records.
Notes
Every fact comes from the Mattapoisett Select Board's posted hearing notice, state Division of Local Services figures, state law and our earlier stories drawn from town and state records. We read the notice on Nov. 5 and the state figures on Oct. 29. Fiscal 2027 rates for Mattapoisett were blank in the state's table when we read it. The per-$100,000 and 10-cent figures and the 4.3% are our math. We checked each date and weekday against a calendar. Not heard: the recommended split and any rate estimate.
Corrections
No corrections to this story. If something here is wrong, tell us. Every correction is dated on the story and listed in our public log.
Sources (11)
- Town of Mattapoisett, Select Board, Notice of Public Hearing, Nov. 17, 2026 (clerk stamp Nov. 4, 2026)Town of Mattapoisett. Time, place, purpose and comment line. Read Nov. 5, 2026.
- Massachusetts Division of Local Services: Tax Rates by Class (Mattapoisett, Somerset)State figures, fiscal 2023 to 2027 rows; fiscal 2027 blank for both when read. Read Oct. 29, 2026.
- Massachusetts Division of Local Services: Average Single Family Tax Bill (Mattapoisett)State figures: average value and bill, fiscal 2023, 2025 and 2026. Read Oct. 29, 2026.
- Massachusetts Division of Local Services: New GrowthState figures: fiscal 2027 new growth for Mattapoisett. Read Oct. 29, 2026.
- Massachusetts Division of Local Services: Excess Levy Capacity and Override CapacityState figures: fiscal 2026 levy and excess capacity for Mattapoisett. Read Oct. 29, 2026.
- Massachusetts General Laws, chapter 40, section 56The classification hearing and the assessors' fiscal effect information. Read Oct. 29, 2026.
- South Coast 360: Marion continues its tax classification hearing to Nov. 17Marion hearing, one rate of $8.87 and $8,908 average bill.
- South Coast 360: Rochester fiscal 2027 tax rateRochester rate of $10.62.
- South Coast 360: Mattapoisett and Somerset fiscal 2027 tax limitsNew growth, the limit from $29,155,841 to $30,413,647 by our math, last year's levy and excess capacity.
- South Coast 360: Mattapoisett Nov. 9 special town meetingTime, place and warrant; Town Administrator Michael Lorenco's Nov. 2 email on the levy and the water and sewer building.
- City of New Bedford: Assessor pageFiscal 2026 rates of $10.95 residential and $21.80 commercial, industrial and personal property, as read for our Nov. 5 assessors story.