##VIDEO ID:c3uirH03nmA## okay uh meeting on the whle board of assessors on 20 November 20th 2024 first item on the agenda is approval of minutes from the last meeting I think you shared with us the minutes the only question I had was uh the second the second page assistant assessor directed see if recommendations is compulsory from Board of assessors that's I think there's a few words missing recommendations for what OHL tax R for tax rate there should be something in there yeah that was you guys were saying you want to make a recommendation well we in the past it's been challenged whether the Board needs to make a recommendation or not did do not we you you're asking me no I'm telling you the board does not need you does not make me around recommendation no okay well the emails that we're getting from from the Town Administrator says that the board should make a recommendation okay you should but you're not compelled okay just up to you what you want to do because because last year we made a recommendation and it wasn't documented well like board Jo it wasn't documented in an official public meeting of the board of assessors so they kind of ignored our recommendation saying well you didn't do it according to open medium La so it doesn't mean anything so I guess I'm asking this year do we need to go through this same thing if we do can can we consider old bu and do it tonight well if we have all the information to to to act on each one of them four items that they're asking us for at the select board meeting at the at the classification hearing do we have that information tonight no okay when wait we put a meeting on well let me ask well getting back to what you're saying David do we need to does this board need to act on that or or does this board need to make a recommendation on each one of them four items that are at the classification hearing right there's the four things that they have to vote on the SL board has to vote on is it required that the board of assessors make a recommendation at each one of them there is not there is not required Additionally the B assessor will put the Motions on the last page and then the change them to accept them or change them or whatever they want to do with them no recommendation just list them okay so that's that's more you can do that that's okay well Stephen can you look at that email that you got from Peter that identified the four items and and somewhere in there saying that they're looking for what a presentation and recommendations from the board of assessors are should we be discussing this yet or you still doing the minutes well it's part of the minutes here well it's a part of the minute I guess part of the minutes here okay uh what was your question on them what's bottom is it say that they're looking for recommendations from the board of assessors to the select board at that meeting he says it would be great if you made recommendations okay but then we we have to do it at a public meeting well I'm saying you I can tell you tonight what I recommend to you for all four items yeah and then you can make them your mind if you want to do that tonight v on it because as far from my point of view it's very straightforward you do not have this a commercial base right so uh but again we could make it we could talk with that after we get the meeting [Music] and okay completely following okay at every at every classification hearing the board of assessors brings forward information on residential split R residential exemption yeah small commercial exemption right and open space uh changes okay so those are the four things you put forward yes um to to make it worthwhile on a split rate you need to have um a decent commercial base and we only have we don't no we don't do we have a 15% commercial base okay uh and you what you would do there is if you take for example the average single Family House of the window and S for 109,000 and if you did a split rate the best change in value that would go is the people we get um are we $200 off taxes whereas the commercial is going to pick up an extra 17 % some of them in personal property they pick up 66 yeah $66,000 on extra taxes taxes taxes not you're Shifting the burden so for a massive change in the burden yeah it would be different if you're somewhere like Boston 7 residentials not their base right that's a big thing and it does make a big difference to the people for what they're getting right uh but in my opinion for years on and we'll get the argument from commercial and they come in and argue it when it's I don't want to call it minutia but certainly it's you're telling me it's only a small percentage of this of this T 15% yeah no yes if you consider I believe it's the is assess well the P company is assess 14, 800,000 you know their taxes if we want the maximum would go from 199 to 299,000 a year okay uh for the commercials the high end again I think this as well the account 10 million go from 133 to 199,000 you got the substantial dollars right that's tax dollars yeah the to for that sort of money they mayile Tak the TA I was going to say where does it end up well that could be at the TA I mean if if you split the rate you're not arguing about your value you're arguing about the rate you'd be sticking with your value you'd have to would it be subjective decision to split the rate yeah would it be a little subjective yes we want to get away from that don't we yeah and again being new with such a small percentage of the Town being commercial are we opening up a can of beans by splitting that sounds like we are well there there is some I going say board members that want to give residents a tax break board what board select board select board they're the ones that decide whether we go split rate or single rate and there's some of them I won't name who but there's some of them that that feel that we should give the residents a tax break by the tax if you do that then the commercial going to pay more and it's and again yeah Yankee Candle doesn't mind it's not affecting Yankee Candle but it could affect muffins it could affect Tom hot dog could affect white Leanne all them all them smaller businesses small commercial properties on your chapter land as well this again so to me if it's subjective in that databased it's to me hard to defend if it's databased uh 60% of the town is commercial it might not be as hard to defend as accurate then then it's like like going to court to figure out who's right and those with the most money are right they can they can go and fight it you know chances are that um you the select cour are the only ones that can make this decision we we can we can make all the recommendations but we're the ones we going to hear about it and we're also on to hear about I have to over adjust the overlay then I know it's a lot of tax dollars but I'm back to subjectivity versus database it's no more or less no more or L we're not going to raise any more or less commercial will get raised commercial get raised resal get lower slightly a little bit and residential will be static commercial only it's like majority rule I mean if there were 70% res commercial I don't know did you I'm I'm back to are we just feeling we should do this or is there data suggest we should do this and it sounds like there's not datus to suggest this is a smart plan right I mean do look at the communities that going SPL I mean actually one of the smallest ones I believe is he he or something wow but they have the power plant in time and the power plant doesn't for uh well is my I want say argument but thought process a more accurate and positive way to move forward I believe so okay well that that would be how I would me I would suggest making the recommendation single read no residential exemption no small commercial exemption and no space exemption which is Fair across the board B they're already getting valued as chapter now so they're already low enough it it seems to be the best move forward without spending years not years but going through it of a fight we certain for those recommendations together that's not a problem but you're right we're going to one you know so so we don't need to make these we just put them in the back of our report and say you decide yeah we recommend but so we're gon to recommend yeah don't sliit okay with that let's get back to the what we're doing here the minutes of the meeting so so uh we'll make that correction on that but it's not recommended but encouraged or whatever you want language you want to put in there okay some sort of diplomatic language yeah diomatic language okay did everything is okay uh you haven't done anything with the uh swimming pools I guess right on for a while yeah we're going to let that pass let that pass and then okay so okay so Stephen can sign the the Su I think that's it's all sum right oh yeah um and I did write I don't know if this is a time to do it I did write a sample mission statement we're going old business um and and and Stephen can go get us supplies without us having to sit through a meeting in a will right you and we we actually did the la3 LA 15 yes that was easy signing on by the way yes does does all three assessors need to sign that two just two okay and then the class be pushed off yes and I hit yeah okay so I make motion approve the minutes of my last meeting second okay favor favor I okay it's approved okay next item sign off and motor vehicle bement and what we're doing here we've just got the summary sheet of of these are all of 2024 St right um this into our last meeting since so that yes that is the mment for excise number six I believe 24-6 okay so this is the six group for this year yes okay and you signed off on each one of these um we gave you that Authority right to sign those are commitments Comm commitments what's what's the difference you're committing those to be collected s the bill okay okay okay so do we need to act on these um that um sheet to your right um needs to be signed to authorize The Collector to issue that one at a warrant sheet Oneil excise okay xze tax okay and were you provide us a summary of these they come up to the 6,763 that is a summ is that a summary right there no this is commitment this is for excise tax okay but you have to commit the excise tax and that's what that is in your hand this is just a summary of the bottom L the back page so we're basically just proving okay okay through exercise 10 yeah okay that's all we're doing through this warrant right we don't need to go through each one of these these are just if you want to look at them f um yeah it's interesting information cars I guess yeah it's interesting information that's about I mean it's it's just formula based right yeah generation the RMV generation yeah l later it's it's taxes are no fun yeah just new and all business okay all business you want to talk about you had Mission State well yeah I did I did draft something very very quickly and open to any interpretation and I mean it's the same thing and then make sure yeah it's um I mean it's certainly open to any changes you want uh I just thought uh if we had a mission statement and and it was agreeable to all we would give it to Peter I think he would put it on the webite what is our mission uh and this was just a and I could I could cut this down I don't have to put weight in Massachusetts each time it's a thought curious as to what others thought it may rather than taxpayer satisfaction uh I something along the lines of uh representative or reasonable tax assessments rather than I guess satisfaction is Equitable tax assessment yeah effective and Equitable tax assessments oh I like that and tax cost effect cost Effectiveness and say that again equal I like that a lot appable um assessments assessment equal that's a good term equable assessments that's that's a nice way of saying we're trying to be as Fair as we can based on the data we have yeah right I like that a lot and where did you find this from uh other towns and you did it yourself yeah I've done a lot of okay okay good for a little more surprise well to be honest with you um I I study um I study Kent Blanchard who is a motivational speaker who now works out of California if you want Ken Blancher to costes 62,000 an hour he spoke at the GRE my re at my high school reunion in 1973 he was a nobody and I always listened to him and I wrote him letters that would just send me some information that's how you you he did so so this is somewhat plagiarized I just you know add in and subtract out but I I just love no matter what you do whatever your goal I don't care what it is you want to be better golfer a mission statement is just a focus forward that hopefully brings us all together with the same goal kind of thing so we don't fall you know right off the top positive way regarding accessor Duty you know you know value of all properties uh properly I me just I just wondering if if others would find this helpful as we get into arguments like Jenny and I are kind of in an argument about should we involve The Hermit department and from this statement I says we should involve all departments that brings us to this Equitable assessment situation if we go in and we see a net lab we should call the cops if we go in and we see a place like you just mentioned we should look into you know maybe coordinate with the you know not maybe coordinate with the um uh permitting department or building department or whatever it might be We're All in This Together to I love the last term to make sure everyone is equitably assessed so that's that's a and it didn't take me about 10 minutes to do this can we have a list till the next meeting like to see what Jenny has absolutely absolutely because I know she might take um offense to weightly departments plus I I'm just going to two value second statement to Value all real property resident commercial industrial I can get rid of in weightly Massachusetts I can just say via the Improvement I don't have to put weight there I kind of cut that down a bit every time I start with the mission statement I start cutting out to get right to the nitty gritty if you going to do that I don't mind you taking a out could you maybe say uh at the heading POS um when you put on mission statement for the assessor's office for the time of wle yeah you so every everybody realizes it do we you're doing the set put so many times on the on the body gotcha just put mission statement way yeah and then I guess they would put this on the internet oh our web page yeah yeah web page I don't know it's a thought think it over guys yeah okay so okay mission statement weight Mass I just put possible up there just so so table it to that's fine with me okay I give a I've got one at home I'll give you a copy Ste got a cop it was it was fun to do okay any other old business no business new business oh what what's happening with the uh business cards and the Hang ties oh he's got those yes this isol we received the Hang ties okay and I think this afternoon um we receive the proofs for the for the cards okay and I can um share that again I love that idea just gives Integrity perhaps certainly credibility as we walk in on people and then the third thing we didn't decide I don't think we did was name tags we want our name tag he's got a tag don't you have a tag that puts under it just says weightly assessors yes I mean I I'm name tags yeah your name it matter the tag you had though I thought that was great and it was very visible and who walks around town with a weightly assessor batch who's not a weightly very visible this some of probably there's no doubt about it yeah probably but yeah I get it nice Shar what that is theend oh they're all great [Music] who's going to make that up that agent to the G I guess someone might that's that's great yeah yeah well the other option was the world globe on here what you guys good yeah that looks good thank you so how many have you ordered um so the order has not been placed yet but um I won't touch base with the admin assistant to see I think they typically order in batches of 100 yeah for for for cost yeah how many you want how many you got neighbors I'm not dealing with my neighbors those are those are their problem not just you if you leave some in the office maybe we'll use them too bu sure yeah no no it's it's good by the way not to jump but that house that we looked at on one gr Lane that wasn't finished it's not finished that's the fire they're living there we get that foral taxes yeah yeah okay and you said that the Hang tags for the door you already have some of them uh yes um you that's to let it let them know we were there yeah I love that one too the with it just again just soften our position because we're me it's like it's like we're attorneys we don't have a particularly goodes you know what I'm saying yeah I've always as a realtor I always put both parties on the same page through education buyers and sellers that way I would say okay you all got the information you decide what to do and if you have don't agree well show me where you disagree and we can go from there but I like educating all parties because that makes the process for the most part Schooler in my mind just my opinion all parties with us would be public and us right okay any other New or Old business some classification [Music] documents no all right okay moving on to review classification documents all right I just here think Fred G me a he G me a bunch of stuff last week or two weeks ago I didn't do anything but I did sorry I'm still waiting hopefully I'm going to have an idea on Monday exactly what the tax rate is going to be because I'm meet with DAR yeah D yeah I'm meeting with so many so D I don't know here this is what I want to suggest you your classific hearing classification hearing is on December 5th yes yes 5th at 6 o' yes 5th at 6 could we have a meeting that day at 4:30 in the meantime I'll send all the documents to stepen and I prepare because I'm going to ask stepen to prepare one of our regular documents and I'll put this other stuff together for okay and then we'll um you can see it all we'll send it all three again you can see it ahead of time and we to sit down and talk about how we want to present it to the board and again this classification document is it the class we assign perhaps like good Fair average no there none this classification document is some to decide whether there going be a tax rate or any other changes within the other three that we talked about so after that document comes the recap the recap um hoping will be the stage that we once they make it if if the board decides to do a split rate it's just a matter of a key stroke is not a big deal s so I would hope that when we walk out that classification hearing that night that they have voted well they have to vote because now we're going to be late with tax laws they'll vote with that we can go straight out and send that form off to the department Revenue next morning um I'll ask everybody before stepen and I will ask everybody beforehand to sign the documents that they're already preparing M so we'll get the point that all we're waiting on for that the to say yeah or n what would cause them to say nay that's up to them y I guess okay and the Cent and the current millage is about 133 as a general rule from having not been here I'm guessing that the village generally doesn't go up or down all that much no depends on the value said quite a bit this year so I it will go down a little bit it will go down a little bit Yeah okay it's not going to be shattering no that's what I'm wondering over the years it's and if it is Earth Shing we got to go back to the drawing board be working right no no it that's what it is it is what it is up and yeah I year was 13 something yeah I've got all that yeah looking at that yeah uh you were you w with us last year I wasn't no together use David's gonna look at it they didn't decide we want to do all that yeah's gonna send me kle I make copies of this or electronic if you want what we did was look at values by class you got the residential and the commercial that was four five categories off the LA 4 is is all in categories and the tax rate is based you look at residential versus commercial so the first two versus all commercial and the split is is like for these weightly is 79 80% 20% commercial yes thank you and see all all our neighbors here this is just Franklin County uh pretty much are all in the20 pretty much split some of these are a little more that have a single rate the ones they have a split rate these are more Franklin County just say all Florida M these are ones that that have a have a split rate and you can see the the commercial is flipflop what we have we're 20% and they're 80% never get that Florida yeah and you can see that the differences in the split rates this was for for 20 came off it's all on the uh what DLS on the DLS that's what I was Wonder It Is by town by by each community and you're G to do what you want with it sure uh and then I also at FL Corridor you know if we're looking at commercial development you know in in a neighboring communities here you know what what is the tax rate of our neighbors here you know we're in line pretty much yes I see that that and none of them havei is off the de yeah right they're at 19 this was two years ago yeah well they had allowed themselves to get into the state where they had an awful lot of cash they hadn't taxed to the Limit and this year they tax limit and quite a bunch that just seems the20 range now yeah it's 19 something something yeah just St stay with me on half field they're putting up that new tennis center yeah it's $5 million Center yeah um is that going to that's going to affect that percentage Yeah the commercial yeah go up some more yeah yeah that's of course you got to look at other residential what other development they have right residential I don't know yeah so so and then and then here's our our growth by residential this that sounds about right doesn't it they did a six year Well add open space and residential together it's mostly residential but the sixe growth 4% and last year we were 8% so that grow was due to an increase in values and sales right yeah so the point I was making is you know they're 8% and your commercial is is 6.8 so we're we're we're close so why do you want to assess commercial more than residential I don't know you total was 8% so 8% growth in commercial yeah well no of both commercial %% 6 we're growing that's always good yeah then they wanted values by the commercial industrial residential so these are values right off of the assessments that year you can look and update these if you want a single rate we're looking last year that single rate in yeah in a split rate split rate would be 20 and and I think the single would have been2 okay I guess you can see differen is if it comes down to residential the average they would save $65 and the average commercial would pay roughly 960 quarter we we split we split yeah I understand why the town name besid with for Revenue purposes but yeah so you know that this is the data that doesn't that shows it we should not be having a split rate yeah and it's not only our community it's Franklin County and it look Statewide you can see the same percentage Yeah that's interesting yeah do that can you copies that if you want cop you an email or I can get copies right we can make copies right here I you're going to send me the file yeah I'll send you a file yeah I'm going to let you do the pros and cons though yeah and then you know the time I so yeah and then the other thing okay you know they wanted to give residents a tax breaking and we come up with tax incentives for residents okay these are the ones that currently have first one is the state circuit right if you're under a certain income we have no idea what that is because it's an income tax filing you can apply for that income tax anybody can do that if you're under certain value assessments and whatever income so we don't know but these other ones got property assessments seniors Le 600 so 500 so I don't that was the value it was do we have a um when a spouse dies do we have a um a break or know in massachus 17 7 surviving spouse yes it's $175 that's all that's all they get yeah that's that's enough for this meeting yes I understand but if people want to talk about um increasing the exemptions we giving there are ways to do that it's $500 Florida options yeah yeah not that I want to change anything but I thought that was too so in CPA is is there's a few people that exempt want exemptions don't want to pay that so they're exempt a handful that way CPA yeah what CPA commity that's the the 3% oh got charge and your tax bill that goes to CPA account okay very good and so they get a a payment should should should they if they not much money here this is the big one they deserve it that's veterans benefits and there all standard forms and amounts depending on on the veteran preference and whether youve been uh handicapped in service or not there handicap benefits people get that and then there's the chapter land it's not not no so there are just showed there are there are uh tax breaks for residents if you apply for them and these are online I think right Steph there's there's a listing of all these on our website yes for for residents to look at so so it's not like they don't have any other option to reduce their taxes they do but they they do we are not that one of those options no yeah yeah so okay it's not again yeah are we going to meet them before 430 in that day oh okay what day is that December can you give me the December give me is it Thursday yeah I'm good yeah that's a Thursday okay we me at 4:30 okay you right and so uh that's 12 5 24 after the Thursday I'll leave the forms that we talked about last time the la4 the comparisons all that have they been finalized yet no talking that's one I okay that's the Steven's done all he can on it but it's the we were talking it's the open space thing yeah this causing a hang a minute and I think I've got I think I know wants to that okay so that should be all done by before Thanksgiving so you give us copies of that yeah Steven the la3 need that so it's 430 okay I'm sorry I'm behind Okay my pen Di and then after so that will be a public meeting advertis okay do we have at 4:30 so do we generally have people up the public show want to the taex classication thing yeah some of the businesses business so again so I'm up to speed I should go into the 101 training and look at classifications there's a section in there but yeah okay the section one quick classifications is describing residential commercial what fall they fall that what we are talking about now is a class hearing we're going to be impacting the tax rate impacting the tax rate that means the recap is done that means well this has to be done before the recap is s done because the do wants to know if do a single tax rate orl ta exemp we might want get again I'm sorry the classification hearing that's coming up on the fifth yeah is the recap is still not done until we make a decision on theit then once splited on we send it under the department of Rue and they can they will oned they come back to their account all with questions that time because all all the all the assessment forms will have been completed okay but they usually we need comments for this we need documentation for that and when when when the public is here are they invited to ask questions as we move along that's a select board meeting so something now yes yeah it's up for here two okay the classification meeting that we're having in the 5th you said that's open to the public right all the meetings are open the public but if any people want to ask questions if these uh select what leaning towards the split way they're doing it that's when they'll talk about it that's that's out of our hands that's okay that's what I was wondering how much are we going to get grilled from the public we make our we put our information front them give our Spiel and U make a recommendation and Supply motions that Comm acted on at that point so the select board and will this board get those recommendations before that hearing that'll all be part of the pap that's not before Thanksgiving or day after to follow the procedure I am the risk of sign s important I'm all over God's grace in the wom so it's just get stuff sure you got other communi you're doing the same thing yes Wow have you done conways here I well before and single R yeah well there's how much commercial they have things we're dealing with okay um okay could I just ask one question if a family brings [Music] in kids who are struggling and sets up an apartment for those kids um is that a taxable event that mean s private Department private whole private department but it's attached to the house that's totally tax yeah that's drawing unit yeah even if it's family yeah yeah anything that's built is taxable unless there's a particular state law for and there is none for that and and even if it's family they they could get an increase in their taxes they're reing revenues charging you got to look from point of view in the future that we're based on Market remember so if that's sold it was sold as a two family right it could even two I don't know the zoning board you you hit my answer already it's the market it's going to determine that so I don't know if the zoning board here you have to be onite own occupied of D or whatever but right and even if that U even if they don't report this is rental income that's that doesn't affect us at all and then if they were to set it up they would have had to go through the permitting process there's a lot of people doing that we don't have no idea well well that's why we Tak periodic visits yeah that's why yeah and you look through through our inspections we can tell that but there's at least three I know in River Road I mean two that are you know uh close by the intersection of blue school you know one is that trailer and River Road and the other going north uh that uh Ranch House sits on the left side they uh have an inlaw apartment in the back they they they went through zoning got permit and all that so and I think you guys went out made inspection and yeah so that's interesting so they are yeah that didn't mean to yeah okay okay anything else we need for this meeting um we need we need Executive session for anything are we talking any property values or anything I don't believe so no okay motion meeting getour second okay all those in favor meour