Wayland Select Board sets $18.52 tax rate in 5-0 classification vote

WAYLAND -- November 30, 2020, Wayland sets $18.52 tax rate as flat valuations outpace budget assumptions. The Select Board voted 5-0 three times Monday to keep a single tax rate, decline a residential exemption and decline a small commercial exemption, locking in a fiscal 2021 residential rate of $18.52 per $1,000, up from $17.76. Finance Director Brian Keveney said the total levy rises 4.4 percent to $74 million, while assessed valuation grew just 0.1 percent and new growth came in at $327,000, the lowest in eight years. Board of Assessors Chair Zach Ventress pegged the average single-family bill increase at roughly $604. Residents Mike Lowry and Rachel Rice pressed for a 2 percent cap next year, with Rice charging that "Wayland is not managing the budget well." Town Clerk Anna Ludwig also swore in Interim Police Chief Sean Gibbons.