How Does Your Tax Bill Compare to Those in Towns Similar to Weston

By now you've probably seen your first tax bill of 2013. You've seen the rate of $12.40 per $1,000 of assessed value, and you've possibly even taken a look at how that rate compares to some other towns.

And while the list of tax rates is interesting, a couple of readers have posed the question of how Weston's tax bills actually will compare to some other towns when the rate and the average home value are figured in.

Weston's Finance Committee does not have an official set of peer towns that it looks to for a relative comparison when it comes to policy and budget. But Town Manager Donna VanderClock said that the peer towns established by Wayland's Finance Committee are appropriate benchmark towns for Weston as well.

According to a Wayland Finance Committee presentation (this a PDF of a draft presentation), its peer towns were selected through a detailed process that looked at and indexed several criteria, including proximity to Boston (not included in final indexing, but only in initial list establishment), population density, per capita income, percent of school-age children, and commercial tax base. Weston was among the towns Wayland established as peer towns.

When compared to those towns, Weston's tax rate falls near the low end of the list. But when it comes to average home value and average tax bill, Weston is at the top in both categories.

• Weston's average single family home value ($1,364,557) ranks 12th, with first being the lowest value (Marshfield at $377,424).
  
• Weston's 2013 tax rate ($12.40) ranks third, with first being the lowest, (Cohasset at $12.20).
• Weston's average single family tax bill ranks 12th ($16,921), with first being the lowest average bill (Marshfield at $4,608).
• Lincoln, Lynnfield, Milton and Sudbury have split residential and commercial/industrial/personal property 2013 tax rates, while Weston has a uniform rate for residential and CIP.

Here are the numbers, courtesy of the Department of Revenue: