ROWE — The town has approved increasing its residential and commercial, industrial and personal property (CIP) tax rates for 2024.

The residential tax rate will be $5.14 per $1,000 of assessed value and CIP rate will be $11.10.

Rowe is one of the few towns in Franklin County to adopt a split tax rate, taxing businesses at a higher rate than residential. While across most of the county there is not a large enough business community to support shifting the tax levy, according to the Division of Local Services (DLS) under the state Department of Revenue (DOR), 48.6% of Rowe’s assessed property is industrial. Rowe’s possible tax levy for 2025 is a little over $5 million. The property tax levy is the revenue a community can raise through real and personal property taxes.

The CIP rate for 2025 will be 83 cents higher than last year’s. 

The residential tax rate will be 13 cents higher than last year’s, however it is 4 cents higher than the rate for the 2023 fiscal year and 19 cents higher than the 2022 and 2021 rates. The town’s rate has fluctuated over the past few decades, reaching a high of $6.86 in 2018. 

Additionally, property values have risen by approximately 5.55%. The average value of a single-family home in Rowe is currently $285,591.

With a slightly higher tax rate and higher property values, Rowe property owners can expect higher tax bills. According to the DLS, the average tax bill for a single-family home in Rowe will be $1,468, a $113 increase from last year. 

The DOR has certified Rowe’s tax rate, allowing the town to proceed with sending out the tax bills for the year. For information about tax bills, the Rowe tax collector can be reached at town hall on Zoar Road. 

Reach Madison Schofield at 413-930-4579 or mschofield@recorder.com