Taxation
This is property tax - the money Fitchburg collects from everyone who owns a house, building, or land in the city. It's by far the single biggest source of money the city has to spend.
This inched up to $70,098,606 this year, about 4% more than the $67,080,590 it was in FY2025. Put another way: back in FY2017 this made up about 42.8% of total operating revenue - today it's 38.6%, a smaller slice than before.
Computed from this category's own year-by-year revenue recap figures, charted above - see Methodology.
Line Items, FY2026
| Line item | FY2026 |
|---|---|
| Prior Year's Levy Limit | $68,632,786 |
| Add: 2 1/2% | $1,715,820 |
| Add: New Growth | $700,000 |
| Subtotal - Levy Limit | $71,048,606 |
| Actual Levy - Adjusted for Rounding | $71,048,606 |
| Less: Reserve for Abatements | $-950,000 |
| Taxation, Total | $70,098,606 |
Where It Comes From
Your property tax bill. If you own a home, a store, a factory, or a piece of land in Fitchburg, you get a bill a few times a year based on what the city says your property is worth.
Who Controls It
There's a state law from 1980 called Proposition 2½ that limits how much more property tax the city is allowed to collect each year - normally just 2.5% more than last year, plus whatever new construction adds to the tax rolls. The city can't just decide to collect more; voters would have to approve it directly at the ballot box. Within that limit, the City Council votes each year on how the tax burden is divided up, and the state (the Department of Revenue) has to sign off on the actual tax rate before bills go out.
Rates & Fees
Fitchburg charges the same rate to homeowners and businesses alike - it doesn't split the rate like some cities do. For FY2026, that rate is $13.29 for every $1,000 your property is worth, according to the City Assessors' office. So if your house is valued at $300,000, you'd owe about $3,987 for the year. This number is set fresh every year, so check with the Assessors' office for the current one.
Governing law: M.G.L. c. 59, § 21C (Proposition 2½)
Background: City Assessors' Office