Rochester approved its property tax rate for fiscal year 2016 on Monday, and Assessor Charles Shea says it isn’t surprising.

“Most will see a very modest increase,” said Shea.

Residential properties will see an approximate 4.2 percent increase and commercial and industrial properties will see just under 3 percent, he said.

The Board of Assessors’ recommended lowering the single tax rate from $14.07 per $1,000 valuation to $14.01, a decrease of six cents. While the tax rate went down, residents will see higher bills due to rising property values.

“The tax went down but value went up,” Shea said.

The average single family home is valued at $339,000, which means an average tax bill of $4,470.

The levy on the town’s $847 million of land valuation will generate approximately $11.8 million in tax revenue, Town Administrator Mike McCue reported.

McCue lauded the assessors and Shea for their timely work and noted that the tax bills will be issued the earliest in recent memory, by Oct. 1.

“The later the tax bills go out, the more difficult it is to make our financial obligations,” McCue said.

“That can lead to borrowing, which is an added expense to the town and eventually the taxpayers.”