Tax bills arrive in June

#MiddleburyCT #PropertyTax

By MARJORIE NEEDHAM

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Middlebury property tax bills will arrive in the mail sometime in mid-June. The town’s mill rate is even lower than the 26.55 predicted when our May issue went to print. On May 6, 2026, Middlebury’s Board of Finance and Board of Selectmen jointly set the mill rate at 26.46, more than six mills lower than the current 32.52 mill rate. While such a drop usually means taxes are lower, Middlebury properties have just been revalued. If a property value increased dramatically, the lower mill rate applied to the much higher value will mean a tax increase.

We are aware of one family whose home value almost doubled. Even with the lower mill rate, their taxes increased by more than $9,000. We believe however, that few, if any, other residents face such a massive tax increase.

While some continue to declare all Middlebury property taxes will go up by the same percentage, that is simply not the case. Some Middlebury property owners will find their taxes increase a lot while others will see only a minor increase, some will find their taxes stay about the same, and some will even see a decrease in their taxes.

It is inaccurate to declare taxes are going up by a set percent in a year in which properties have been revalued. Properties increase in value by varying percentages, so not all taxpayers experience the same increase in their taxes. This year’s taxes are the first Middlebury taxpayers will pay since properties were revalued.

In “normal” years one thing changes: the mill rate. A revaluation year is more complicated because two things change: the assessed value of each property and the mill rate. You can do the math to see how much your taxes will change. Here’s how to calculate them: Use the assessed value on the statement you received from the town and the new mill rate of 26.46. As an example, we will use a home with an assessed value of $100,000.

Multiply your assessed value ($100,000) x 26.46. That equals $2,646,000
Then you can either divide by 1,000 to get the $2,646 in taxes
OR
You can move the decimal point three spaces to the left as in $2,646,000.
to get $2,646 taxes

Now you have the amount of your new taxes. Get out your 2025 tax bill and subtract the 2025 amount from the amount calculated as explained above to see how much more (or less) you will pay this year. If you want to calculate the percentage increase, divide the increase by the amount of last year’s taxes.

Using the example above, say last year’s taxes were $2,000. The dollar increase is $646. To figure out the percentage your taxes increased, divide $646 by $2,000. The answer is 0.323. Your taxes went up 32.3%.

Now let’s do the math on some actual Middlebury properties. We know the owner of House 1. Houses 2 and 3 were picked at random from Middlebury listings on Vision Appraisal.

House number 1 is a house whose assessed value increased to $243,950 from $188,600, an increase of $55,350, or 29%. The taxes last year were $6,133.27. This year, they will be $6,454.92, which is a $321.65, or 5% increase. So the assessed value increased 29%, but the taxes increased 5%.

House number 2’s assessed value increased to $539,630 from $475,100, a 13.6% increase. Its taxes last year were $15,450.25. This year’s taxes will be $14,278.61, a decrease of $1,171.64, or 7.6%. The assessed value increased 13.6%, but the taxes decreased 7.6%.

House number 3’s assessed value increased to $913,080 from $726,300, a $186,780, or 26% increase. Last year’s taxes were $23,619.28 while this year’s taxes will be $24,160.10, a $540.82 or 2.3% increase. The assessed value increased 26% while the taxes increased 2.3%.

Next year will be a “normal” year with only the mill rate changing. In normal years, only improvements to your home can make it increase in value. Therefore, barring any improvements, if your assessed rate this year is $100,000, that is what it will be next year. It will remain unchanged while the mill rate is likely to change.