Brockton's average single-family tax bill would rise about $208 to $218 in fiscal 2027, city hearing packet shows
The City Council splits the fiscal 2027 tax levy between homes and businesses at a hearing Monday, Nov. 23, and even the largest shift state law allows leaves homeowners paying more.
BROCKTON, Mass. The owner of an average single-family home in Brockton would pay about $208 to $218 more in property taxes in fiscal 2027, even if the City Council again shifts as much of the tax load onto businesses as state law allows, according to two sets of estimates in the Board of Assessors' hearing packet.
Assessors posted the figures Thursday in the packet for the council's fiscal 2027 tax classification hearing. The hearing is set for Monday, Nov. 23, at 6 p.m. in the City Council Chambers on the second floor of City Hall, 45 School St., and the city's notice says written and oral arguments will be taken there.
What homeowners would pay
The average single-family home in Brockton is valued at $498,147 for fiscal 2027, up about 3.6% from $480,725. At the full shift onto businesses, the assessors' impact table uses a residential tax rate of $11.64 per $1,000 of value, a penny above the fiscal 2026 rate of $11.63. That would put the average single-family bill at about $5,798 for fiscal 2027, up $207.60 from $5,590.83 in fiscal 2026.
At that rate, the assessors estimate an increase of $210.64 for the median single-family home, valued at $479,300. Their table has the average two-family home paying $292.39 more and the average three-family home $328.64 more.
A state what-if worksheet in the same packet shows a residential rate of $11.66 at the full shift, which would put the average single-family increase at about $218, or about $10 more than the assessors' table. A note on the worksheet says it is for planning purposes only and that actual figures may differ slightly because of rounding. The packet does not say which rate is current, and the city cannot set its tax rate until the state Department of Revenue approves its values and recap sheet, according to the assessors' page.
The average single-family bill has risen each year, from $5,170 in fiscal 2024 to $5,381 in fiscal 2025 and $5,591 in fiscal 2026, according to the state Division of Local Services.
What the council decides
State law lets Brockton tax commercial, industrial and personal property at up to 175% of what those owners would pay under a single rate, and the council chose the full 175% for fiscal 2026, the packet says. The city has used the full shift every year since fiscal 2021, according to the assessors' history table.
Those three classes hold 13.9% of the city's taxable value, and at the full shift they would pay 24.4% of the levy, while the residential class's share would fall from 86.1% to 75.6%.
Without any shift, every class would pay one rate of $13.28, and the average single-family bill would go up $1,024.56, the assessors' table shows. At the full shift, the assessors' table has the average commercial property, valued at $880,581, paying $297.94 more at a commercial rate of $23.21, down from $23.23. The state worksheet puts the commercial rate at $23.23, the same as in fiscal 2026.
Councilors will also decide whether to adopt two optional breaks. Under the first, a residential exemption would take up to 35% of the average residential value off the assessment of each owner's main home and raise the residential rate to make up the difference. A small commercial exemption would cut eligible small businesses' valuations by up to 10% and raise the commercial and industrial rates. Brockton has not adopted either before, the assessors wrote.
Where the levy stands
The packet puts the fiscal 2027 levy at $192,988,784, up about $6.4 million, or 3.4%, from $186,588,610. That is the city's levy limit under Proposition 2 1/2, the state's tax limit law: last year's limit plus 2.5%, or $4,664,715, plus $1,735,459 in taxes from new growth, according to the state levy limit sheet in the packet.
Check your value
The city posted its fiscal 2027 assessed values by street on the assessors' page Thursday. Values are as of Jan. 1, 2026, and are based on sales during 2025, according to the packet.
Owners who disagree with a value may file an abatement application with the Assessing Department. The application must be filed in the assessors' office, or carry a U.S. Postal Service postmark, no later than Feb. 1, and the board will require an inspection of the property, the packet says. That time limit is triggered by the third-quarter bill, which the packet calls the actual bill. Issued each Jan. 1, it is the first bill to carry the new rate and values, while the July and October bills were preliminary and based on last year's taxes, according to the assessors' page.
The assessors also run state tax assistance programs, known as exemptions, for eligible taxpayers. The Board of Assessors is chaired by John P. O'Donnell, with members Christopher J. Pike and Anthony Paull, and the Assessing Department takes questions on values, abatements and exemptions at 508-580-7194.
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Sources (6)
- FY2027 Tax Classification Hearing packet, Brockton Board of Assessors, posted Nov. 12, 2026
- Public hearing notice, Brockton City Council, City Clerk Timothy J. Cruise, posted Nov. 10, 2026
- Notice to Brockton Taxpayers, Brockton Board of Assessors, posted Nov. 12, 2026
- FY27 Assessed Values By Street, Brockton Board of Assessors, posted Nov. 12, 2026
- Assessor's Office page, City of Brockton
- Average Single Family Tax Bill and Tax Rates by Class, Division of Local Services Municipal Databank, read Nov. 14 and 15, 2026