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Marblehead received 82 property tax abatement applications for fiscal year 2026, a significant decline from the 293 filed last year and 345 the previous year, according to assistant assessor Todd Laramie.
The drop follows two years of work to address assessment problems that emerged in fiscal 2024, when portions of town were severely overvalued. The filing period for fiscal 2026 abatements closed Feb. 2, the due date for third-quarter tax bills.
"We have made significant efforts over the last two years to identify what exactly went wrong in 2024 and address those issues," Laramie wrote in an email to the Marblehead Independent. "We are looking forward to another year of sales and market analysis to further adjust our database to full and fair market values for FY27."
Three applications arrived after the Feb. 2 deadline and cannot be acted on under state guidelines, Laramie said. The materials provided do not specify how many of the 82 applications were for real estate versus personal property.
The fiscal 2026 applications represent a 72% decline from the 293 filed in fiscal 2025 and a 76% decline from the 345 filed in fiscal 2024. The 82 applications were filed against a total assessed property value of roughly $9.89 billion and a median single-family assessment of $1,195,000, according to figures presented at the December tax classification hearing.
Waterfront properties and older homes drew the most abatement applications this year, according to Laramie. Several waterfront neighborhoods produced multiple applications from residents primarily challenging increases in their land values from fiscal 2025 to fiscal 2026.
Laramie also noted a pattern among properties with "Old Style" homes, which he defined as homes built before 1900 that do not fit into a particular architectural category such as Colonial or Cape.
The materials do not provide data on how many applications came from waterfront properties or Old Style homes, or what percentage of total applications these categories represent.
Board of Assessors Chair John Kelley said the town has returned to a more accessible approach to taxpayer concerns under Laramie's leadership.
"If someone has an issue, he will personally talk with them," Kelley said in a Feb. 2 phone conversation.
Kelley said the preliminary valuation reports released before tax bills were mailed likely helped reduce confusion and complaints.
Marblehead released preliminary fiscal 2026 property valuations for public review in October 2025, continuing a transparency initiative launched after the assessment errors. The proposed assessments were available through Oct. 24 at the assessors office at 7 Widger Road, Abbot Hall at 188 Washington St., Abbot Public Library at 235 Pleasant St. and online at the town's assessor website.
The early release was required because fiscal 2026 was a certification year for Marblehead. The Massachusetts Department of Revenue's Division of Local Services conducted what Laramie described as a deeper examination of the town's database and methodology. State regulations required the town to publicly disclose proposed values for actual tax bills in January for at least seven calendar days.
Marblehead satisfied this requirement by posting fiscal 2026 proposed values on the town website and providing printed copies at the assessors counter, Abbot Hall and Abbot Public Library.
The town also released preliminary fiscal 2025 values early as a courtesy following the fiscal 2024 problems.
"I did receive quite a few calls, as well as walk in taxpayers coming to our window to discuss," Laramie wrote. "I find that once I have these conversations with residents, go over the details of their Property Record Card and explain the process of how we arrive at our values, they have a much better understanding of the process and perhaps a little more trust and confidence in their assessment."
The email response to the Independent was incomplete and did not finish the sentence about whether early disclosure reduced abatement filings.
The fiscal 2026 assessments reflect property values as of Jan. 1, 2025 and are based primarily on calendar year 2024 sales. The Select Board voted Dec. 2, 2025 to set a single property tax rate of $8.59 per $1,000 of assessed value for fiscal 2026, down from $9.05 in fiscal 2025.
The median single-family assessment climbed from $1,125,000 in fiscal 2025 to $1,195,000 in fiscal 2026, an increase of 6.22%, according to a letter to the Select Board. At the new $8.59 rate, the owner of a home assessed at that median value would pay about $10,264 in property taxes for fiscal 2026, up from about $10,181 at the prior year's $9.05 rate, an increase of $82.80.
Total assessed property value in Marblehead rose about 6% from roughly $9.32 billion to $9.89 billion, driven by continued home-price growth. Residential property makes up about 95% of that total, with commercial, industrial and personal property accounting for the rest.
At the new rate, Marblehead will collect roughly $84.9 million in property taxes for fiscal 2026, about $500,000 more than the $84.4 million generated in fiscal 2025.
State law requires abatement applications to be filed no later than the due date of the first actual tax payment. For fiscal 2026 third-quarter bills, payment was due Monday, Feb. 2.
Property owners who disagree with their assessed values can file formal abatement applications after December tax bills are issued, with a Feb. 1 deadline.
The assessors department determines fair market value of all property for taxation purposes. The office does not set tax rates or determine tax relief eligibility. Massachusetts law requires assessors to establish full and fair cash value for all taxable property.
Laramie can be reached at 781-631-0236 or assessors@marbleheadma.gov.
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