TURNER – Selectmen this week approved a new tax commitment that will increase taxes by 3.8 percent.

The commitment was delayed by more than two weeks while assessors did a type of revaluation called factoring to the town’s property values. Turner was falling out of compliance with state requirements because property valuations were so much lower than true market prices for land and housing. The assessors took property sales for the last three years and based on those figures “factored” an overall increased valuation townwide.

“We are very close to state figures on overall valuation of town properties now,” Town Manager Jim Catlin said Friday.

The estimated 26 percent valuation increase, which also includes $11.5 million in new properties, will lower the tax rate 18.7 percent from $17.40 per $1,000 of assessed property value to $14.15. The decrease will not in many cases lower tax bills, however, because of the increase in valuations.

Tax bills are expected to be sent out in the next week and the first half of the payment is due Nov. 1.