Now that both the town and education budget have passed, Newtown residents have a solid, to-the-dollar sense of how much they'll be paying in property taxes in 2013-14.
For months, the town has offered an online tax calculator on their website, in which residents can enter their address. But residents can also consult an address-by-address list of homes to see where they fall on revaluation and tax increases. The 315-page PDF is too large to attach here, but click here to see the full document on the town website.
"Generally, the larger homes have an increased tax burden, and so do commercial properties," said town finance director Robert Tait. But he said about 65% of residents will pay the same or less in taxes.
"Every five years, we've got to make sure people are paying their fair share [through revaluation]," he said. "There are a lot of things that can happen over five years. You may own two homes in different areas of town, and all of the sudden one school becomes more popular than the other. And suddenly, the house with the bigger value is paying more -- stuff like that."
Tait says reactions to the change have varied. He mentioned a discussion he had with a man interested in buying a house in Newtown.
"He was very worried, and when we went to that document he was relieved to find out he'd only be paying $50 more," he said. "But the people with the larger homes aren't very happy."
Are you happy with what you'll be paying? Check your address on the list and let us know your thoughts in the comments.
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