TPRTA Urges No Increase above 35% and For Adopting a Means-Tested (RTE)

In early September, TPRTA urged part-timers to express their views on the potential for an RTE increase directly to the Select Board before the 9/22 Tax Classification Hearing.  Part-timers’ response was strong, heart-felt, smart, and community-minded.

Thanks in part to the emails and letters sent to the Select Board in late September and to the sensible evaluation of the RTE by the Select Board, the applicable rate for the RTE stayed at 35% – it could have risen as high as 50%!

We informed Truro part-timers that although we saw no indication that the Select Board was inclined to increase the RTE this year, many town officials, public statements, and press reports strongly advocated in Town to consider increasing the RTE to 50%. And the Select Board could do so because of the Seasonal Communities designation.

Many members expressed their own views directly to the Select Board, but TPRTA also presented our members’ views on the matter, explaining that while no proposal could have been before the Select Board to increase it in advance of the Hearing, we saw many indicators urging them to do so, including public statements and remarks in the press by influential Town officials upon whom the SB relies to achieve its objectives.

We also noted that of the many, many dozens of emails they received, overwhelmingly these accepted the RTE as a fact of fiscal life in Truro – and asked for it to be capped at its current level. We reflected these views and advocated for the RTE to remain at 35%.  Yet even capped at this level, the impact is considerable still.

At 35%, the RTE results in a $420,629 reduction in assessed residential value for the 730 recipients in FY27.  This offsets –  or shifts – taxes on $307,059,170 in reduced assessments on to 2613 part-time resident taxpayers.  For practical impact, this on average will result in a $2591 tax reduction to full-timers and a $725 average tax increase this year to part-time resident taxpayer’s property tax bill.  In the decade since  the RTE was first implemented, the cumulative increase in taxes shifted onto part-timers above their base tax is reaching unsustainable levels, as we noted to the Select Board  (and to the Planning Board in August).

The Select Board heard your views and was affected by them. They then voted 4-0-1 to set the level at 35% for FY 27.  One Select Board Member abstained, remarking that she believes the RTE should be capped at 25%.

Congrats and thanks to all of you who expressed your “RTE” views with clarity, humanity, and kindness for all in Truro. You made a big difference.