Salem City Council To Talk Tax Rate Wednesday

Salem MA

30 November, 2021

11:51 AM

Description

SALEM, MA — The Salem City Council will take up the tax rate for 2022 in a public forum as part of its regular meeting Wednesday night. Council members will discuss — and are expected to vote on — the allocation of the tax levy for the four property classifications in the city, as well as any exemptions for open space, residential and small commercial spaces. Recently re-elected Mayor Kim Driscoll said in a letter to the community on Tuesday that the proposed tax rate will drop residential and commercial rates by about 4 percent, with the average single-family tax bill set to increase by about $97 due to higher assessments. "We strive to manage the overall tax burden on homeowners and I am proud that we have never needed or sought a Proposition 2½ override," she said. She said the best way to alleviate the tax burden on residents is "responsible, sensible development that adds to our tax base." One of the major campaign issues in her mayoral challenge from City Councilor Steve Dibble was Dibble's criticism that Driscoll was too quick to embrace development that catered toward high-income new residents at the expense of the needs of longer-term, working-class city residents. "It is important we look to new growth opportunities," Driscoll said on Tuesday. "We cannot cut our way to stabilized taxes or better services. We can, however, broaden the base that funds our local government, thereby stabilizing taxes and improving services. "(The proposed Fiscal Year 2022 tax rate) once again shows that strategy at work." Driscoll won re-election by a 59 percent to 41 percent margin on Nov. 2. "We want to keep Salem a vibrant, thriving community that delivers quality public services in as efficient and affordable a manner as possible," she said. "It has not always been easy. Just as we emerged from local fiscal trials in 2007 our national economy spiraled into a recession and, just as we were building back from that, the pandemic brought a new decline in our economy. "Whatever the cause of our challenges, we weathered them and are today still resiliently positioned for success, with strong growth, a declining unemployment rate, record bond ratings, and award-winning balanced budgets." Salem City Council meetings are held remotely via Zoom. Those wishing to participate in the public forum can do so via directions in the City Council agenda here. Did you find this article useful? Invite a friend to subscribe to Patch. (Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at [email protected]. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)