Pittsfield Reviews Financial Condition Before FY27 Budget
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The average single-family home in Pittsfield has increased by more than 40 percent since 2022.
This was reported during a joint meeting of the City Council and School Committee on March 19, when the city's financial condition was reviewed ahead of the fiscal year 2027 budget process.
Mayor Peter Marchetti said the administration is getting "granular" with line items to find cost savings in the budget. At the time, they had spoken to a handful of departments, asking tough questions and identifying vacancies and retirements.
Last fiscal year’s $226,246,942 spending plan was a nearly 4.8 percent increase from FY24.
In the last five years, the average single-family home in Pittsfield has increased 42 percent, from $222,073 in 2022 to $315,335 in 2026.
"Your tax bill is your property value times the tax rate," the mayor explained.
"When the tax rate goes up, it's usually because property values have gone down. When the property values go up, the tax rate comes down."
Tax bills have increased on average by $280 per year over the last five years; the average home costs $5,518 annually in 2026. In 2022, the residential tax rate was $18.56 per thousand dollars of valuation, and the tax rate is $17.50 in 2026.
Marchetti reported that Pittsfield has had the highest tax rate in Berkshire County for the last three years, but average property values are ranked 24th or 25th of the 32 Berkshire communities. He said Pittsfield is "slightly north of the middle of the pack" in terms of the tax bills.
"When we take the two of them together, and we look at the tax bill, we hear all the time that Pittsfield has the highest tax bills and the highest tax rates," he said.
"When we look at all of Berkshire County communities, we fall somewhere between either 10 to 14, depending upon the year."
He pointed out that Pittsfield residents get curbside trash and recycling, 24/7 police and fire departments, a 14-school district, and the city has 205 miles (450 lane miles) of roads to maintain and plow.
Pittsfield is in the final quarter of fiscal year 2026.
The general stabilization fund as of 3/17 is $6.66 million, and there is about $8.7 million in certified free cash, with the council approving a $405,000 appropriation for airport electrical upgrades and a $199,000 appropriation for a new online permitting software.
Finance Director Matthew Kerwood said at this point, the estimated maximum allowable levy is $124 milliob, 4.3 percent over the FY25 actuals. Pittsfield expects to receive around $82 million in state aid, a modest 1.2 percent increase, and contribute $2 million in free cash to offset the tax rate.
The proposed Pittsfield Public Schools budget for FY27 is about $87 million, with $68,855,061 in Chapter 70 funds and an $18 million city appropriation.
Tags: fiscal 2027, pittsfield_budget,
