The New Era looked at 10 property tax bills, including statements belonging to five city councilors, two newspaper staff members, one police officer, a city department head and a random house on Elm Street. Last year, a check of 10 properties, including about five of the same properties, showed typical increases in tax bills of about 8 to 14 percent.
Tax increases this year ranged from 2.8 percent on a property that was no longer in compression last year to 7.7 percent for one city councilor. The average increase in tax bills among the 10 properties was 4.76 percent.
Of those properties, two were not in compression. One saw a 6.4-percent increase in taxes this year as it moved out of compression.
Four were substantially compressed under current rates but at the approximate threshold of compression under 2015 tax rates, just prior to the last increase in city property taxes.
One owned by a city councilor was substantially compressed under current rates but not compressed under 2015 tax rates.
Three, including two owned by city councilors, were at the approximate threshold of compression under current rates but not in compression under 2015 tax rates.
Voters approved an increase of $1.80 per $1,000 for the police and library levies in November 2015 to combat a compression effect that meant other taxing districts that increased their rates would receive a larger share of the property taxes.
Following an increase in tax rates, like the increase approved in 2015, real market property values must increase further before a property is no longer compressed. While not compressed, property tax owners pay the maximum tax rate, $24.67 per $1,000 in Sweet Home. After that point, their bills may grow by a maximum of 3 percent per year. While still compressed, increases in real market values drive larger increases in tax bills.