Mayor Malik Evans' upcoming budget proposal lowers property tax rate for homeowners and holds steady the total amount of residential taxes to be collected citywide.
That is good news for homeowners whose latest assessment increased by 60% or less. For others it should lessen the potential for a huge jump in their next tax bill.
“The tax rate drop is one of the largest decreases in recent history,” Evans said. “And I need to make this point: If we had not finalized this assessment, if we had paused this assessment, city homeowners would have been faced with an increased tax rate. The math proved us right.”
The announcement comes as Evans prepares to introduce his fiscal year 2025 budget on Friday.
In all, the residential property tax is planned to drop 37.7% city-wide, from $17.84 to $11.11 per thousand dollars of assessed value. The city’s residential property tax levy is planned to remain flat for the third straight year.
The reassessment, which was sent to the state on May 1, saw a 68% overall increase in property values across the city. Some neighborhoods, like Beechwood and parts of Maplewood, saw average increases of more than double the previous home values.
For a house formerly assessed at $100,000, its city and school tax bill would have previously come in at $1,784. If it increased in value by 50% to $150,000, that tax bill would clock in at $1,666.50 under the new rate. If it increased by 100% to $200,000, the bill would come in at $2,222.
Find out how your tax bill will change
After property values soared in Rochester, the city is planning to reduce the tax rate and hold total collections flat. Those who had their property assessment increase by less than 60% would see a drop in their tax bill. How did it affect you?
Lookup your assessment here, then enter your old assessed value and your new value and click the Calculate button to find out.
Evans released the tax rate during a news conference Tuesday at City Hall, joined by a majority of City Council members, including both President Miguel Meléndez and Vice President LaShay Harris.
The reassessment had caused something of a schism within City Council, with a minority made up of Councilmembers Kim Smith, Mary Lupien, Stanley Martin, and Willie Lightfoot calling for a “pause” on the reassessment. A chant of “pause” had become a regular fixture at rallies and public city hearings over the past several months.
“Many of our residents have not recovered fully from the COVID-19 pandemic, meaning an increase of this magnitude will dampen their ability to balance the challenges life thrusts upon them,” the four Council members wrote to Evans in February. “Thus, we are respectfully requesting that any new assessment be delayed for a period of two years so we can work together to find an amicable solution.”
Councilmember Mitch Gruber, who serves as chairperson of the Council’s Finance Committee, shrugged off that campaign at the news conference.
“Good government is not always sexy, it’s not always pretty,” Gruber said. “Good government is not chants. Good government is not catch-phrases. Good government is not little slogans. Good government is going out and doing robust assessments, having thousands of hearings...and then analyzing the data and making decisions.”
The tax rate proposed by Evans still pends approval by City Council during the budget review process. If approved, it would go into effect July 1.
