[Ed note: My Southborough accepts signed letters to the editor submitted by Southborough residents. Letters may be emailed to mysouthborough@gmail.com.
The following letter is from Al Hamilton, a member of the Select Board.]
To the Editor:
Over the past year, as we have been discussing the Neary Project, a number of citizens have asked about the “Big Picture” that includes all the things we might want to do and how we might pay for them. To date I have not seen a comprehensive analysis of that Big Picture. Over the past month and a half, I have been working on pulling together a picture of our town debt and the impact of all the things we might consider using our debt capacity for. Unfortunately, I was not able to present this analysis prior to the Select Board 4-1 vote in favor of the Neary Project. I offer my analysis here to the citizens in hope that it helps inform Town Meeting members prior to May 10th meeting and the voters on May 13.
Al Hamilton
35 Pine Hill Road
Thanks Al. I just hope the whole board recognizes all of this. I also hope the voters use good sense. I don’t want to have to move out of town due to high taxes
Very helpful Al! I’ve been looking for an analysis like this for some time. We need a good pros/cons analysis of the Neary project exceeding the debt guardrail of 10% with options for keeping it within the recommended debt levels.
Looking at the charts that Al prepared, it’s clear that the town has a big problem, even without adding Neary to the mix. Looking at the Debt Service percentage chart, the town’s debt service will exceed 10% of the General Fund by FY31 or FY32, just based on adding the anticipated New Programs.
Everyone, please watch the 11-minute presentation that Al Hamilton put together.
TY Mr. Hamilton. I appreciate your efforts. I have been trying to educate myself on this project, attending two public meetings (involving the Select Board, Advisory Committee, Neary Building Committee and school leadership) and asking questions. At the most recent meeting I attended (Public Safety Building, April 3), there were maybe a dozen citizens in attendance. I hope more were watching from home or caught it on replay. For me, each time I delve into this project, I learn something I didn’t know before. Peeling an onion comes to mind…it’s not that information isn’t available, it’s just that it is complex, and presented (to borrow a phrase from lawyers) “in the light most favorable to one side.”
For example, you may have heard that the Neary Committee studied many options before narrowing it down to three and eventually voting on the all-new, four-grade ($100m+) Neary proposal. I could not understand why the Neary Committee had not studied certain other options that have been identified by other citizens. On April 3rd, I learned that the Committee was limited by the State and was not free to consider options that might have utilized existing school spaces and that maybe would be less expensive for taxpayers. On April 3rd, the Chair of the Committee explained that once they decided to enter the State school financing program (MSBA), the State picks the options that can be considered! I don’t know about others, but that certainly gives me pause.
Also, at the April 3rd meeting, the Advisory Committee and School Board voted in favor of the project (there was one “nay” on Advisory). Mr. Hamilton said he was not ready to vote as a member of the Select Board because he had not received an answer to questions he had posed to the Neary Committee months ago. Say what? The Chair of the Neary Committee replied that the answers to Mr. Hamilton’s questions had just recently become available. Again, maybe it’s me, but I feel like not all the info that should be out there has been out there, at least in an easily-accessible way.
I hope that everyone will pay attention to Mr. Hamilton’s presentation. He is very knowledgeable about the Town’s finances, and is presenting a side of the story that has not been told.
In discussions about the tax burden associated with constructing the new Neary School, it’s helpful to understand how Southborough’s current residential tax rate compares to other communities across Massachusetts. This context is essential for evaluating whether Southborough can reasonably take on a long-term financial obligation such as the bond required to fund the new school.
In 2024, Southborough’s residential property tax rate was $13.91 per $1,000 of assessed value. This ranked 122nd out of the 351 municipalities in the state. At first glance, this might suggest that Southborough falls somewhere in the middle. However, a deeper look tells a different story: the 121 communities with higher tax rates account for only 13% of the total residential assessed value in Massachusetts. In other words, Southborough’s tax rate is higher than what is paid on 87% of the residential property in the state.
This means Southborough residents are already contributing at a comparatively high level — a critical factor to weigh when considering additional long-term tax commitments.
Carl
When you look at the state database the 2025 Average Residential Tax Bill is $13,334. That puts us at 29th out of 349 cities and towns (2 towns did not have data) or at the 8th percentile. We are sandwiched between Stow and Hopkinton
If the new Neary magically appeared along with its attendant debt even with the promised saving the tax bill would rise to about $14,040. This would put us at 21st or at the 6th percentile, sandwiched between Sharon and Acton.
It should be noted that all but 1 of the towns that bracket us have much smaller commercial bases as a % of their tax base. All operate quality school suburban school systems.
% of the Tax Burden carried by Residential Property:
Southborough – 84.11%
Acton – 88.92%
Hopkinton – 83.05%
Sharon – 92.85%
Stow – 89.94%
https://dlsgateway.dor.state.ma.us/reports/rdPage.aspx?rdReport=AverageSingleTaxBill.SingleFamTaxBill_wRange
https://dlsgateway.dor.state.ma.us/reports/rdPage.aspx?rdReport=Dashboard.TrendAnalysisReports.TaxLevyByClass
For those following the ongoing discussion about real estate tax fairness, Al’s reference to the average real estate bill of $13,224 pertains specifically to Southborough.
While the total tax bill might catch attention, it doesn’t tell the whole story. A property tax bill consists of two main components: the assessment, which reflects the owner’s presumed ability to pay, and the tax rate, which determines the actual financial burden.
For example, consider two homes—one in Southborough and one in Westborough—each assessed at $500,000. This suggests both owners have an equal ability to contribute to town services. However, due to Southborough’s tax rate of $13.81 per $1,000, the tax bill would be $6,905. In Westborough, with a higher rate of $16.69, the same property would be taxed at $8,345.
That’s why tax rates offer a clearer picture when comparing real estate tax policies—they reveal how much of a financial load each town places on its residents.