Good evening. Uh, welcome to the board of assessors meeting. Uh, Wednesday, October 29th is now just at 5:30. I'd like to call the meeting to order. Uh, present is director of assessing Denise Ellis,
uh, member Lucas Ray, um, chair Richard Dorny, and, um, not present at the moment is Michael Mone Clerk. All right. Uh called the order present.
Acceptance of meeting minutes. Did uh get a chance to look at the meeting minutes? >> Yeah. Yes. >> Are you good? >> Yep. >> All right. I am as well. Um like to move uh that we approve uh the meeting minutes of October 14th.
Second. >> All right. All those in favor? Okay. And All right, Denise. Here you go. >> Um, >> I guess we have business. Yeah. What do we have next?
>> So, I guess we'll do She doesn't have a new business, the classification. So, we just have um one vendor available actually mine for my um it's my mileage for my conference I went to last week.
>> Okay. >> Was a uh [clears throat] >> that was um municipal law. That was a state one. >> Okay. Where was that? No, >> that was that was in um Batson College in
>> Okay. >> Is that Watertown? That's where we were. >> Okay. >> I always get those two mixed up. >> All right. Was it a full day? >> Yep. Full day. >> All right. >> It's for um town man. It was for everybody. Town managers, tax
collectors, finance, assessors. They have it every year. Okay. All right. Here we go. Oops. So, we put everything right over here, Denise. >> Okay, perfect. [clears throat]
>> All right. Next, we have uh >> we can either do we can do the go with the classification and then we have um chapter land applications. >> Okay. Why [clears throat] don't we um How many chapter lands do we have?
20. >> Okay. Are these um many of them renewals or reoccurrence? >> Yeah, there's no there's no new ones. >> No new ones. Okay. Well, why don't we um address those? >> 16 17 something.
>> Oh, great. We did the What about uh we skipped the So, do you want to just go over just quickly the class? >> That's what I was saying. Do you want to do that first? >> Yeah, let's do that. And uh again, we just won't get too deep, but um did you get a chance to read what I had handed out? >> I read the 2025 one. Yeah, you just
handed me this one. >> Yeah, I read through it. Yeah. >> What do you think? Uh >> I mean, my opinion is that I think we should, you know, let's see. >> Understand it? >> Yeah. So, I mean, right here, I wouldn't I would
vote to increase the shift, you know, personally. Um, I would rather see the um less burden on the residential. >> Mhm. >> And if it means, you know, increasing the commercial. >> Okay. >> And I saw that chart you had in the back here.
You know, if what are we at right now? 105. Yes, I think this will be the third year if we do if we uh move and continue with the split rate. This will be year number three done that. >> So uh and both the prior years have been
105 >> and this goes to the select board. Correct. >> Correct. And again we just make a recommendation. We right we you know give uh um we don't make the decision >> y >> but we give them the [clears throat] information to >> so what I did was I did this average
which is what I mentioned to you at the last meeting you know if you look at the 25 surrounding towns and I pulled this off the DLS you know and you average them out the average for this 25 surrounding towns is 11.55 on the residential rate Norton was 12.97
so we're a little more than a point higher on the residential and if you average out the 24 towns commercial um Norton is almost four points lower on the commercial. >> Okay. So >> um you want to say yeah go say
>> so I was going to say when when it comes to the tax rate it all depends on what their ley levy is and what their valuations is. So >> we'll never come that's how they do that. That's there's >> but if you look at the you know we're at 105 right now. You can shift the burden
a little bit more to the commercial side. That's what this chart is for. So right >> which would give the taxpayer some relief you know and it would increase the burden on the commercial properties. >> Right. And and you know [snorts] the only thing to consider would be um again
we're just under that 19 20% >> under that for um commercial industrial personal >> and like 81% in residential. >> So um
>> but we also have such a juicy commercial rate that it's enticing all the commercial building in town. And you know, I'm not a fan of that personally, but >> well, that does entice builders, you know, the commercial builders to try to develop in Norton when they have a juicy
rate like a 13% when the average is roughly around 17%. >> Well, you have to consider um you know, is there vacancy rates at the industrial park? Can we kind of get that up and fill that in a little more?
Um, I mean I'm I'm not I mean I'm I'm 10, you know, in agreement that I think just a uh possibly an increase of another five to make it 1.10 is not too much of
a uh going out too much on a limb or and it's not burdening the the commercial market. Um >> I don't want to bury the commercial market but you know. >> Right. Well, again, and one thing you do need to consider um when we talk about business, you
know, all you know, I think our mindset tends to go to the bigger companies, but we have a lot of small mom and pop companies. >> I understand that. I used to have a couple in town. So, >> right. So, that have been there a long time and um you know, I think it's a
little bit more challenging for them to you know, have an increase. So all those things got to be weighed out, but um I think that's it's it's worthy consideration or recommendation. So
Denise, any point? >> No, I just going to remind you that like they also get hit with a personal property too. So um they get double bill, you know, if they own the property and then they have to get a personal property. True. So they get like a double whammy.
>> Yeah. And I know I I've read something uh you know Adelboroough I think they're they're they're very heavy on the commercial side >> right but they're it you know prior to
1983 I think or ' 86 they um it was a single raid but business was [clears throat] strong back you know they had a lot of manufacturing you know a lot of companies employing you know >> bal four >> bal four back in the day. Yep. And so
they're they're considering going backwards the other way. >> Y >> but no, what you're saying is um you know I I kind of agree and maybe we can just present all this information. I didn't get a chance to look at it that
closely, but I will review it. Maybe, you know, you're you're going to have to send it to the select board, Jen. >> Yeah, I'll send it tomorrow. I just wanted to show you guys first. >> Yeah. and have them uh take a look at it. >> And with the 110, you're you're closer
to the, >> you know, you're still in the range of what it is this year, tax rate. >> Yeah. >> So, you only go down to 12.84 if you go to 110 and right now we're at 12.97. So,
really not that much of a difference. [clears throat] >> Well, if we keep it going to the PBC. Have a good evening. >> We keep at the same 105. We actually go up through that. If we actually keep it at the 105, we actually go up [clears throat] by the 13,
>> right? >> Okay. >> All right. Um, yeah, here we are. Yeah, we got to be 110 puts it under 13 12.89 89 and the C CIP would be 1451.
>> Yep. >> Yeah. Um Okay. All right. Well, we can um you know, prior to November 6, we can get together and um if we have any other question, communicate [clears throat]
um you know, email and um maybe I think I think we go on what time was it? >> Uh 6:15. >> 6:15. So maybe if we get there at like uh you know 6:00 or maybe 10:06 or something like that and if we have
questions for you and um you'll be doing the presentation. >> Mhm. >> I'll be along as well. >> Okay. >> In the next scale. >> So it actually goes out more this year cuz I was looking at the 20 25 if we keep it at 105. We actually go up to 13.04. >> Right.
>> I'm at 12.97. >> Right. Yeah. Yep. So, okay. I think the average tax bill when you did you compare 25 to >> So, I did my um >> What's it say? 25 the average tax bill.
>> So, I did my last year. >> It'll be on one of your sheets in um this gives you the last three years. There you go. >> Yeah. Okay. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. I mean, and that's the assessed
value of it. I mean, that's you had new construction, you had home sales, you had um um permitting, right? >> So all those things play into that uh number. [clears throat] >> So if you look at the average single
family value um from 23 to 25, 2 years went up 56,966 on average. So about, you know, $28,000 [clears throat] $29,000 per year. So that's about a 6% increase is what I came up with from 23 to 25.
>> Yeah. >> And the average tax bill increased $373 per year if you did the math on the residential. >> Yep. All right. [clears throat and cough] Yeah. Here we are right here. 1295 1297
1304. We keep it. So let's try to you know as of now we're kind of leaning towards the 1.10 Well, and uh that still keeps it under the 13 and uh it's comparable with the last two years.
Okay. All right. Uh Mike just texted me. That's not it. >> Okay. >> Okay. All right. Um, anything else to again we'll just meet before November 6th and um in the meantime if we have
questions we can communicate email. All right. Uh why don't we start with chapter land? >> Yeah. So we have chapel land applications. We have um these ones are all
61Bs. [clears throat] We have six of those. And all these people have been in it for many, many years. >> All right. And again, chapter land. You familiar with that? Right. >> 61B is um
recreational. >> Yeah. So, chapter land is an overall uh encompasses how many are there? Anyone that owns property and they can um it has to be a minimum of I think five acres. 5 acres
>> and they can set it for um as a farm Christmas trees. They could do passive recreation trails. They could um >> and then there's 61 which is forestry that's a 10 year >> Yeah. Um grow cranberries and what that
does >> a produces right correct. >> Yep. It actually except does it for the >> Yeah. It's pretty low. It's really low. Yeah. So, >> and there's what uh how many chapter 61 that is?
>> 61 uh altogether. I think we have it like around 20. Yeah. >> 20 around there somewhere. >> Yeah. So, and again um these are done annually these applications. >> If we see a label like that,
>> that tells us that's a repeat reoccurrence. >> All right. >> Yep. And then we can just uh make sure we review it. Any questions? Um and here we are.
>> All right. So, >> and we're approving these applications, >> correct? I'm going to do a kind of a deep dive into a couple of these for next year, which you're going to get again at the end of the year. Um, just going through them. Some of them haven't really been
producing for a few years, so I got to check into it more, see if they're still eligible. >> Okay. And this actually goes um to the registry of deeds as well. >> Yeah. So once they um apply, there's a lean on the house. Then if they sell it,
then they pay the roll back taxes if the town doesn't want it. And then we take the lean off. And these are all 61. Those were all 61. >> 61 here. >> And these ones are all 61A. So these ones here, those are recreational. These
are all farming. Okay. >> These ones all have to have a schedule F. Tells us what they're doing for farming. You know, [clears throat] some residents have have quite a bit of land. >> Yeah, there's a lot of land out there.
>> [snorts] >> Usually these um applications are colorcoded depending on what >> Yeah, we used to have different colored greens, but they don't really make the paper anymore. So, not all the same color. >> This one. Now, this isn't so these these people
here, Haskell Farms. Haskell Farms. It's actually on West Hodgees and Maple, but they're their residences on Richardson. >> Yeah, I think so. Yeah. Um, >> yeah. >> So that they don't have to be on the
property. They just need to own the property. >> Correct. >> Yeah. Because you can, you know, >> correct. >> You can go like hiking and stuff like that there, but they don't have to let you on the land. It's kind of weird. So these are all approvals, correct?
>> Approvals. Yes. cuz it says right here date voted slashdenied. >> Uh we can fill that in for you. Um we'll put um date voted. We'll fill it in or you can fill it in if you want I'm
just wondering why it says denied. So >> Oh, why would you deny it? You mean? >> No, it says denied right here. That's what we're signing. The date voted denied. >> Oh, yeah. No, I see what you're saying. >> But we're not we're not >> Oh. Oh, yeah. Oh, >> no. Because we're going to >> I hear what you're saying.
>> So, right here, we're going to put granted. >> Grant. Yeah. >> And that will be denied. So, these should we'll check them all off as granted if that's what you guys are doing. >> I'd like to check them off. >> Sure, you can check them off. >> Let's check them off. So, we'll check it off or >> you can do it if you want. >> Huh? >> You can date them if you want.
>> Yeah. Yeah. >> Okay. >> Um, just check all. >> 29th. 29th. No, we didn't deny this one. >> No. Um, >> this one, Lucas, would go over here. Down here.
>> Oh, so yeah. So, down there is the date. >> So, this is if they if we denied it. >> So, discretion. Yeah. >> So, here's the date down here. They're all dated. I dated them. sign. They see it.
[groaning and clears throat] >> Yeah, I did. Oh, there. Um, right. The two of them. >> Oh, there two together. >> Yeah, they Yeah. >> Sorry about that. Don't know those two there. >> That's interesting. >> You can actually take that off. I don't know why that's >> No, I know because they're Yeah, it's
it's they're the same. >> Oh, is it the same person? >> But yeah, okay, that makes sense. Okay, that makes sense. They I look at the acreage. You look at one of them,
they're Oh, 22 39. [clears throat] So it's all under the farms but two separate properties. >> I'm going to shut that door. Is it noisy? Right. What's this?
This is uh plain street. See what I'm doing? Um, I'll just check off all right there. All you got to do is sign there. >> You shut your light off. [clears throat] >> All right.
>> Have fun. >> Here's the >> Thank you. >> How are you? >> Um, >> is that supposed to be? >> So, here's the river. >> Yeah. So, the golf courses, if they're in there, they'll they're under 61B.
>> Okay. >> Recreation. >> Yeah. Right. >> It's 28 acres there, huh? Okay. Uh, these ones here are all farming. So, they have the schedule F
that's in there showing that they are >> okay. >> Doing something trust. And that's their schedule F that they have to give us their farming. >> They're they're right. They're um
um profit or loss statement. Right. >> Right. Most of those are time. All over town. All these. >> Oh, these. Yeah, they're everywhere. They're all over town. >> Bring that while you do that. >> Okay.
All right. [clears throat] I think there's extra. >> Yeah. Um, okay. It's a very cultural
This is agricultural down here. >> This one here is um which one is that? >> Yeah, that's um >> is this the state one? >> This is I'm looking at it here. I was just surprised on the address. I didn't >> know there was agricultural down that
road. >> Oops. Yeah, [clears throat] >> it's kind of weird. I kind of look at that one all year and I can't >> You would probably know more about that than I would. >> Yeah.
>> I mean, it's all here. Their their application, everything. >> So, that's probably one on. So, I think on the schedule object on there, [clears throat] correct? Looking at the bike page. >> Yeah. um >> a schedule F the farming one
>> right here. No. >> Yeah. See all these little ones? These are all the ones that I want to check into. >> Okay. >> Um because I think they've been like that for a few years and then you guys will have to decide what you want to do. >> I mean, there isn't much grow and I, you
know, when I see that street, I think of something different. Um, >> and they they're only saying uh he's only classifying five out of the 6.6 acres. So,
>> cuz it's probably does if he has a house there or something. That's all he can do. >> Growing blueberries. >> I mean, it does seem to be Yeah, it does paperworks, right? >> So, >> [clears throat] >> So loop drive that's over the old not me string. That's what that is.
>> Yeah. Yeah. Oh, I know. Yeah. I mean by just when I think of that it's industrially zoned right now. >> Y >> so >> at one time I don't think that long ago it was industrial zone. I think we changed it a few years ago.
Okay. Did you want this? >> This one's a second. >> We don't have to for these. I looked into I Googled this one all day long cuz it doesn't say it on the things. >> All right. The other one's definitely
>> We have to then >> It's not even on the It doesn't even say it on the application. >> Yeah, >> I thought they were all right. Okay. So, this one here, um,
I see Jehovah, and I assume this is Lincoln Street. >> Mhm. >> 20 acres and it's by wooden logs, right? >> By wooden logs. Yeah. So, it might not be a house. >> No, it's not.
>> Is there a street address like a number? >> No. On on Lincoln, it says Lincoln Street. >> Just Lincoln Street. >> Postcals. It gives a possible identification. >> So it might just be like make it land. >> Yeah. >> House there. >> It's a total of 20. You classifying 18.6
acres. So they must have done some um site work, several site work. Okay. And they do on these applications, we check to make sure that the apostles numbers are matching. Oh yeah,
definitely. Okay. [clears throat] Okay, this is actually three apps for the same family. Wow. >> [clears throat]
>> It's three or three. You got the >> Yep. >> was there was a There's one more for >> Okay, >> that came in three. The paper clip.
>> Um >> [snorts] >> Mhm. Okay, >> it's interesting. I never knew. >> Here we go. Bumped >> one farm had property >> in Norton Thin Farm. They're in Nashville and they have quite a bit of
property on Essex Street. >> Well, they're right just adjacent to Mansfield, so maybe they're >> Yeah. Well, no, it's not far at all. Yes. Probably maybe a half mile that you go. Yeah. So that's where the
>> expenses. Now this one, this is wound. Was this one part of V that development or No. >> Um I don't think so. >> New houses that are going under
construction. >> No. Um actually I'm not sure where this one is. I'm not sure how far down it is. >> Okay. >> But this one here is also listed as a corporation >> in the do in the department of revenue. Yeah. >> So um they don't need a schedule F
because of that. >> Okay. I don't think it's far though. I'm trying to think where 145 is. >> I don't know how far down that is. >> I know. Didn't recently some some we had to take off.
What was it? The nursing home something. >> Um, so they have Yeah, Drenle's been selling property over there, but that's been a couple of years since they sold anything. >> All right. Okay, I have a question on this one,
Denise. clarification total acres. Yeah. >> Classified, >> right? >> Is that okay? >> Yeah, because they're only classified to farm so much of the acreage there. Um, so >> it had to be it had to be five acres. >> Has to be five. It doesn't have they
have to have at least five acres without the house, but they don't have to farm that whole thing. So on this one, they own over six acres, but they're only doing 4.8 and they own 4 >> to be classified, >> right? So it's classified in that.
>> Okay. >> So the other part so what we do is we break it up. So we have two landlines one so this part of it like the extra two acres whatever it is that will be your main landline a regular value and then the line below it will be um the
the chapter land value. >> Okay. So say by by theory, not practically don't have any cards here. >> So by theory, could this be 1.86? >> No, it should be 4 whatever.
>> Or could it be? I mean >> Oh, it could be. Yeah, but they're um I mean they could they could do one 1.6 if they wanted to, but they're saying they're doing 4.86 out of the 6.7. >> So it doesn't have to be five acres. No,
no, no, no, no. Doesn't have to be. >> Okay. >> They can choose how much they want as long as they have enough acreage. >> Okay. >> You know, plus I have that >> every one of them that we were over 5 acres. >> Yeah, most of them are. Um, and then we
have if they have a house on there, then you can't include that. So, they'd have to have six acres. >> [clears throat] >> Is this Oh, okay. Yeah, this is >> So when we get white ones, people just print them off.
>> Oh. Oh, I know. Wow. So, this one is Oh, this is the um big one. >> Big one. Yeah, the big one. >> Yeah. Yeah.
Right. Didn't get sick. >> We're waiting for a little while on this one cuz his the owner passed away. >> You guys probably know that. So, >> took us a while. >> Big cranberry grower. Yeah. Huge. And then uh ma make peace and deas
probably one of the largest >> are they? >> I don't think so. [clears throat and cough] They're all part of that ocean spray consortium. It's still cranberries and our solar panels. >> That's what they want to do with it.
All right. >> Solar panels above is what they want to do. This This is >> Yep. >> Yeah. >> Yep. >> Yeah. Okay. >> Yep.
>> Wow. Heat. Heat. So, I just have to vote on those and then I'm going to >> Is that it for you to win? Yeah. >> All right. So, we'll have to make a motion to go to executive session.
>> Um, do you want to vote on these first? >> Oh, yeah. >> What is the uh ones we're not approving tonight? The chapel line. You said you still had some we had to look at. >> No, no. I I had a question. >> Oh, all of them. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. These are all of them this year.
>> And then we still have till December 31st. We'll start We're collecting them now for FY27, which we'll have. >> Yeah. Yeah. >> Okay. So, um so we had uh the 61Bs, we had seven of those. Those are the recreation.
>> Okay. >> Like to make a motion to uh approve uh uh chapter land uh section 61B quantity of 7. Uh is there a second? >> Second. >> All those in favor approve. Unanimous.
I make a motion uh to approve um chapter land 61A of the 15 applications we just reviewed. Is there a second? >> Second. >> All those in favor? Approve. Unanimous.
Okay. Um I guess now we'll go into executive session. So, I'll close out uh or suspend the open meeting. We're going to go into executive session. I need a I'll
make a motion for that. Is there a second? >> Second. >> Okay. [clears throat and cough] Those in favor? Okay. We will now go into executive session. >> And we will be back, right? You going to tell them we're not going to be back? >> Yes. Correct. And we will not be back. Uh what we'll be doing now is going
through um the veterans and senior clauses for their um personal um real estate exemptions.