Rochester sees a citywide decrease in the property tax rate

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — The City of Rochester announced a historic drop in its property tax rate during a showcase of the property reassessment results.

According to Mayor Evans, almost every property in the city saw an increase in value from four years ago. He says it has been decades since a homeowner saw their property’s value increase.

The mayor addressed months-long concerns about how the increase in values would affect tax bills. He says this has resulted in a tax rate of 37.7 percent — from $17.84 to $11.11. The city tax rate has decreased from $6.52 to $4.06. The school rate has gone down from $11.32 to $7.05.

Due to the proposal to leave the tax levy flat and the increase in values, this is the largest drop in tax rates per thousand dollars in recent history. The city acknowledges the residential tax rate may be adjusted by one or two cents.

“We’re not raising taxes anywhere across the city, the city budget will not increase as a result,” said Rochester City Council President Miguel Melendez. “In turn for that being part of this process, we want to make sure we look at how we have everyone who is a city resident getting all the exemptions that are possible That’s the next step in this process.”

In regards to the School Tax Relief program (STAR), the benefit for qualified homeowners has increased. The city says the Enhanced STAR credit has increased to $71,570 from $50,170. Senior citizens, veterans, disabled people, and clergy members are also able to qualify for tax exemptions and benefits.

“Now that the reassessment is complete and the tax rate calculated, we can shift our focus to ensuring that Rochester homeowners are aware of and sign up for the valuable benefits available through local and state tax credit and exemption programs,” Mayor Evans said in a statement.

Rochester’s 2024-25 fiscal year budget proposal will be shown at 11 a.m. on Friday, May 10. The final tax rate will be known once the vote passes on the new budget. That will occur in June.

For more information on how seniors will be affected by the STAR credit changes, visit this webpage and for more information on how veterans will be affected, visit this webpage .

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