The Selectmen voted to approve a unified property tax rate for the town Monday night after the Board of Assessors concluded its study on the town’s property value. Lands categorized as open space, residential, commercial and industrial have been assessed throughout the year. The unified tax rate for Rochester is $12.02 per thousand for all property.

Assessors are required to submit property values to the Massachusetts Department or Revenue for certification every three years.

According to Board of Assessors chairman John Mello, the town’s overall value decreased three percent. Mello said, however, the decrease would not affect the overall distribution of the tax rate among the properties if the unified rate was enacted.

The Board of Assessors will now send its findings to the Department of Revenue for certification and the Selectmen will sign the report following the certification.

In other town business:

The town will be mailing requests in November for volunteers to fill the Rochester Agricultural Commission. The commission, adopted in 2005, serves as a voice for farmers and promotes agriculture opportunities, according to conservation agent Laurell Farinon. Farinon said the commission has been inactive since its inception due to low response.

“There have been many notices put out, but little interest,” Farinon said. “But we realized that people may not know what the commission does.”

The commission requires seven board members, four of which are active in farming.