Sudbury Approves 2021 Tax Rates With 2% Residential Increase

SUDBURY, MA — Sudbury property tax rates will go up in 2021, but not as much as in 2020.

The Board of Selectmen on Tuesday gave final approval to the 2021 rates, which will be $18.73 per $1,000 for single-family homeowners, and $25.55 per $1,000 for commercial and industrial properties.

The 2021 rates mean an increase of about $283 for a home with an assessed value of $746,300, which is the average home value in Sudbury. Compare that to the 2020 tax rate increase, which was about $413 for a home at the average assessed value.

Actual tax bills will vary by a given home's assessed values — and some property values have actually decreased slightly compared to the 2020 assessments.

The assessed value of all single-family homes in Sudbury dropped by 0.32 percent from $4.062 billion in 2020 to $4.049 billion in 2021, according to the assessor. The total value of all two to three-family homes saw zero percent growth.

But all other property types saw an increase in value: apartment complexes up 2.31 percent, commercial properties up 7.47 percent and industrial properties up 6.21 percent.

The 2021 tax rates are set to raise enough money to pay for the fiscal 2021 budget, which is $92.4 million. Under state law, Sudbury could raise about $93 million, leaving the town with about $635,000 in excess levy capacity. That's up sharply from 2020, when the excess levy capacity was only around $7,000.

The Board of Selectmen first approved the 2021 rates on Dec. 1, but had to reaffirm that vote on Tuesday.