The town has posted the preliminary real estate tax bills for the first quarter of Fiscal Year 2027, which began on July 1. The bills reflect an increase in taxes for most property owners after voters overwhelmingly approved a $14.8 million override of the Proposition 2½ tax cap in the March town election.
The bills were mailed out and posted on the town’s online bill payment system. “Please note the annual tax increase from Proposition 2.5 as well the increase from the March 28th override election vote are reflected in this bill,” the town said in an announcement.
The amount the town can raise through property taxes is limited by the state-wide Proposition 2½ tax cap, which allows municipalities to increase the tax base by 2.5 percent annually, plus new growth. (New growth includes upgrades and renovations to houses and new units built or created.)
The only way to raise taxes beyond that is to have town voters approve an override like the $14.8 million operating override that nearly 72 percent of voters approved in March. The previous operating override of $7 million, approved by voters in November 2023, kept municipal finances afloat through the 2026 fiscal year, which ended on June 30. Another type of override is a debt exclusion, such as the June 2019 vote that funded the new $290.4 million Arlington High School, which was completed earlier this year.
The town also used its late-afternoon announcement to remind residents that tax relief programs are in place to help qualifying residents.
“The town of Arlington offers several exemption programs to help lower property tax obligations for qualifying seniors, blind persons, disabled veterans, surviving spouses, and homeowners experiencing financial hardship,” according to the announcement. For more details, including deadlines, see ArlingtonMA.gov/Assessors.
This news item was published on July 2, 2026.
