Hampton Property Taxes: The Facts and My Council Record
Updated: Oct 7
At the October 6 Northampton forum, the question asked about the past four years. An opponent said Hampton’s real-estate tax rate went from $1.24 to $1.14. That starting number was incorrect for the four-year comparison shown here: FY2023 to FY2027.
The rate went from $1.18 to $1.14—not $1.24 to $1.14.
The actual rates were $1.18, $1.16, $1.15, $1.14 and $1.14 per $100 of a home’s assessed value. The rate fell. Your bill can still rise when the value used to tax your home rises.
Check the rates below. See the dollar example. Then watch my Council remarks.
Four years. The actual rates.
FY2023 to FY2027 is a four-year change. The city’s tax schedules show a starting rate of $1.18 and an ending rate of $1.14 per $100 of assessed value.
The actual numbers
Fiscal year | Tax rate per $100 | Citywide home-value increase |
FY2023 | $1.18 | 16.6% |
FY2024 | $1.16 | 10.3% |
FY2025 | $1.15 | 6.7% |
FY2026 | $1.14 | About 8% |
FY2027 | $1.14 | 5.0% |
Assessed value means the value the city uses to tax a home. The last column shows the increase in the citywide residential total from the year before. Your home’s change may be different.
How can a lower rate mean a higher bill?
Your bill depends on two numbers: the value used to tax your home and the tax rate. If that value rises enough, a small rate cut will not keep your bill from rising.
Example: the same home, before relief or exemptions.
FY2023: A $200,000 assessed value at the $1.18 rate produces a $2,360 annual bill.
If that home’s assessed value rises 33% to $266,000, the $1.14 rate produces a $3,032.40 annual bill.
That is $672.40 more per year, even with the lower rate.
This example shows how the calculation works. It does not mean every home’s bill rose by the same amount.
How the 33% and 29% figures were calculated
From FY2023 to FY2027, the rate fell from $1.18 to $1.14: about 3.4%.
The city-reported residential increases for FY2024, FY2025, FY2026 and FY2027 build on each other. Multiplying 1.103 × 1.067 × 1.077 × 1.05 gives about 1.331, or about 33% growth.
The city first reported 7.7% for the increase informing FY2026 and later described that year as 7.9%. Using either gives about 33% growth across this comparison.
FY2023’s 16.6% increase happened before our starting value. Including it would compare a different period.
The dollar example uses a rounded 33% increase. Its bill rises about 28.5%, rounded to about 29% in the graphic.
The citywide residential total includes many homes and can include new housing. It does not show the increase for the same individual home. The example assumes a home follows that rounded growth.
Annual tax before relief or exemptions = assessed value ÷ 100 × tax rate.
Five fiscal-year entries contain four year-to-year changes. My more than five years of advocacy is a separate timeline.
Watch me address taxes at City Council
I know these numbers because I’ve been involved. I’ve stood before Council and asked for resident tax relief, clear budget figures and better spending priorities.
Start with these three tax remarks. “Speaker cue” links open near my remarks. “Agenda section start” links open the hearing before my individual turn.
April 22, 2026: Tax bills and state support for veteran relief
Explained that a stable $1.14 rate could still mean higher bills as assessments rose. Supported veteran tax relief but asked the city to seek state reimbursement and regional cooperation.
What I asked for: Coordinate with other mayors to pursue state support and meaningful resident tax relief.
Video cue: 00:46:30. Agenda section start; not Aaron’s individual start.
May 7, 2025: Tax relief, staff raises and budget priorities
Proposed a $1.13 real-estate tax rate using the I Value model and asked whether other spending could support employee and school needs. Questioned allocations for downtown improvements and blighted properties.
What I asked for: Reconsider priorities to provide resident relief and support city workers and schools.
Video cue: 00:39:16. Speaker cue in city captions (approximate).
April 23, 2025: Property-tax relief and employee pay
Urged a rate of $1.14 rather than $1.15 per $100 of assessed value while funding city employee pay, schools and services. Discussed a lower rate if the budget could support it.
What I asked for: Give residents relief while paying city employees competitively.
Video cue: 00:21:35. Speaker cue in city captions (approximate).
More of my budget work
Expand an entry to see what I raised, watch the meeting and read the official record. These nine entries and the three above make up the 12 tax-and-budget speaking turns in my reviewed record.
May 13, 2026: Home-repair partnership and homelessness review
Thanked staff, Habitat and volunteers for the joint repair blitz. Requested measurable standards for the ordinance review, temporary sanitation at known gathering areas, and clarity on collective-bargaining budget funds.
What I asked for: Define review metrics, address sanitation and explain the use of designated budget funds.
Video cue: Not located. Full recording linked.
Watch Council video | Official minutes
April 22, 2026: Separate Aquaplex revenues and expenses
Returned to the prior year’s Aquaplex questions. Asked for its standalone operating result, taxpayer support and long-term plan rather than combined enterprise-fund figures.
What I asked for: Publish Aquaplex revenue, expenses, subsidy and operating goals separately.
Video cue: 00:51:45. Agenda section start; not Aaron’s individual start.
Watch Council video | Official minutes
April 22, 2026: Capital spending, tiny homes and recreation access
Questioned the tiny-home project’s purpose, site and operator; golf-course spending and expected results; and whether the Therapeutic Recreation renovation included permanent street signage.
What I asked for: Explain what each project will deliver, who is responsible and how results will be measured.
Video cue: 01:00:21. Agenda section start; not Aaron’s individual start.
Watch Council video | Official minutes
May 14, 2025: Bridge Builders outreach to every council member
Asked all council members to respond to Pastor Kenney’s Bridge Builders email and thanked Councilwoman Campbell for replying. Recalled his earlier criticism of council pay raises.
What I asked for: Engage individually with Bridge Builders and respond to the invitation.
Video cue: 00:49:13. Speaker cue in city captions (approximate).
Watch Council video | Official minutes
April 23, 2025: Aquaplex performance and financial disclosure
Questioned missing Aquaplex performance data in the budget. Requested attendance, revenue and other operating information and acknowledged the budget staff’s work.
What I asked for: Provide the missing historical metrics and explain the financial record.
Video cue: 00:27:58. Speaker cue in city captions (approximate).
Watch Council video | Official minutes
April 23, 2025: Blighted properties and Therapeutic Recreation signage
Asked how blighted-property acquisition and demolition funds would be used and how residents could report problems. Requested better visibility and street signage for the Therapeutic Recreation Center.
What I asked for: Explain the blight-removal process and funding, and add effective signage.
Video cue: 00:34:08. Speaker cue in city captions (approximate).
Watch Council video | Official minutes
July 10, 2024: City employee pay versus council raises
Criticized increasing council pay while essential city workers faced low compensation. Cited advertised city jobs and also raised the Thompson family’s safety at a road intersection.
What I asked for: Prioritize competitive employee pay and protect residents from unsafe driving.
Video cue: 00:25:14. Agenda section start; not Aaron’s individual start.
Watch Council video | Official minutes
April 24, 2024: FY2025 recommended budget hearing
The Notice of Action confirms Aaron spoke at the hearing on the City Manager’s FY2025 recommended budget. It does not summarize his individual remarks.
What I asked for: Exact position remains to be recovered from the recording.
Video cue: 00:54:40. Agenda section start; not Aaron’s individual start.
Watch Council video | Notice of Action
April 10, 2024: Competitive pay for city employees
Used his experience as a former 311 employee to argue that city workers should be able to afford to live in Hampton. Questioned whether the proposed 3% raise matched living costs and nearby cities’ pay.
What I asked for: Conduct a regional salary review and make market corrections where needed.
Video cue: 00:24:59. Agenda section start; not Aaron’s individual start.
Watch Council video | Official minutes
Related work: tax repayment and financial oversight
August 12, 2026: Repair permits, 311 complaints and code enforcement
Requested permit access for residents current on approved tax repayment plans. Questioned repeated unfounded 311 complaints and described concerns about his family’s code-enforcement case and court documents.
What I asked for: Amend section 9-41B, require supervisor review of repeated unfounded complaints and examine case-handling concerns.
Video cue: 01:51:40. Speaker cue in city captions (approximate).
Watch Council video | Official minutes
January 24, 2024: Employee safety, poverty study and Aquaplex oversight
Followed up on City Hall safety concerns. Asked when the poverty-study findings would be public and which department oversaw Aquaplex operations and finances.
What I asked for: Publish the study, clarify Aquaplex responsibility, and provide substantive safety follow-up.
Video cue: 00:03:38. Agenda section start; not Aaron’s individual start.
Watch Council video | Official minutes
See my full City Council speaking record — 51 documented speaking turns on 42 meeting dates, September 2021–September 2026, reviewed September 25, 2026.
View the two graphics
Lower rate, higher bill
Year-by-year values and rates
Check the city sources
FY2024 tax schedule
Read the general REAL ESTATE TAXES row. Special district and blighted-property rates are separate from the general rate used in this comparison.
FY2025 tax schedule
Read the general REAL ESTATE TAXES row. Special district and blighted-property rates are separate from the general rate used in this comparison.
FY2026 tax schedule
Read the general REAL ESTATE TAXES row. Special district and blighted-property rates are separate from the general rate used in this comparison.
FY2027 tax schedule
Read the general REAL ESTATE TAXES row. Special district and blighted-property rates are separate from the general rate used in this comparison.
What does this mean for your home?
Compare your own assessed values and annual bills for the same years. Check whether tax relief or exemptions apply to you.
Review Hampton’s real-estate tax information and the Assessor of Real Estate’s resources. Compare your assessed values and annual bills for the same years.
Read my resident guide to assessments, bills and FY2027 for more detail on understanding your bill and finding city resources.
Forum follow-up
Thank you, Northampton and Aberdeen, for the opportunity to discuss what residents are facing. The full forum is available on the Northampton Civic League’s Facebook page. I plan to add my recording and a direct link to my answer on October 9.
Aaron T. Weaver • Residents First. Growth with Purpose. Public Clarity.
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