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12-10-2021 12:40am
Select Board Meeting Dec. 6, 2021: Residential Tax Burden Helped by Commercial Class and Other Highlights
Darlene Cancell
Editor
Image by Marco Verch Professional Photographer from Flickr
Select Board Shifts Portion of Tax Burden from Residents to Commercial Class
In Select Board's December 6, 2021 public hearing regarding allocation of the FY 2022 tax burden between the residential and commercial classes, Select Board uanimously adopted a shift factor that would result in the commercial class, that represents 15.67 percent of the town's total value, paying 26.6 percent of the town's total taxes. No resident or commercial party provided on-the-record comments during this public hearing.
The residential class represents 84.33 percent of the town’s total value. While not specifically stated in the hearing, by process of deduction, the residential class will pay no greater than 73.4 percent of the town’s total taxes.
The Select Board’s decision, which adopts a 1.7 shift factor recommended by the Board of Assessors, results in the commercial class contributing a greater share of taxes relative to its value. The residential class will contribute a smaller share of taxes relative to its value.
The Town’s Assistant Town Administrator and Finance Director, Ms. Pam Dukeman, explained the shift factor in a presentation that she gave on behalf of the Board of Assessors.
“Taxes are based on value,” explained Ms. Dukeman. “But in Massachusetts, if you adopt a different rate for commercial, in a sense you’re shifting more than their fair share over to the commercial. So we said commercial is about 15.6 percent of value. But with the shift, they’re going to pay 26 percent of the total taxes in town.”
Ms. Dukeman noted that while shifting some of the residential tax burden to commercial tax payers is extremely helpful to Westwood residents, the Board of Assessors has also historically been careful to assign a shift factor that still encourages commercial development to continue. The 1.70 factor is the same as what was used in FY2020-2021 and FY 2015-2018. It is similar to the shift factor of 1.68 that was used in FY 2019.
The shift of some of the residential tax burden to the commercial class results in savings to the average home of about $1,517, said Ms. Dukeman. Because individual homes have different values - some homes have appreciated in value while some have not - the tax burden experienced by residential households will differ. A chart showing tax impact to an array of sample home values illustrated that how households would experience the tax burden differently. Some houses that appreciated might experience an increase of one percent, while other houses that experienced a drop in value might experience a decrease of 2 percent to their taxes, for example.
Ms. Dukeman also noted that from FY 2021 to FY 2022, the overall value of the residential property in town has increased 1.2 percent. At the same time, commercial value has increased 8.8 percent over the course of a year. This bucks a trend from recent years where the increase in residential values had outpaced the increase in commercial values. The overall increase to value in the town from FY 2021 to FY 2022 is 2.3 percent.
Select Board Clerk John Hickey made a motion to adopt the 1.70 factor for FY 2022. Select Board member Robert Gotti seconded the motion and it was unanimously approved.
Opening of 2022 Spring Annual Town Meeting Warrant
Select Board opened the 2022 Spring Annual Town Meeting Warrant, allowing any and all properly proposed articles to be considered at the upcoming Town Meeting. Mr. Walsh noted that Select Board must accept any petitioner’s article that has 10 or more signatures of registered voters, and articles that are submitted by a majority on the town’s boards and committees. He encouraged petitioners to consult draft article language with Select Board, Town Counsel, or the Finance and Warrant Commission before obtaining signatures in order to ensure that the article has been properly drafted for presentation at Town Meeting. The Warrant will be closed at Select Board’s first meeting in January 2022.
Declaring December 7, 2021 "Westwood Girls Field Hockey Day"
The chair welcomed the state champion Wolverine Field Hockey Team to the meeting, and declared that Tuesday, December 7, 2021 would be known as Westwood Girls Field Hockey Day in Westwood.
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Transfer of Funds to Westwood Media Center
The transfer of funds from Comcast and Verizon to Westwood Media Center under their PEG (Public, Educational, and Government) agreements have been signed. Select Board unanimously approved of the agreement to transfer $46,371.39 from Comcast to WMC and $43,538.91 from Verizon to WMC for a total of $89,810.30 to WMC.
Verizon Cable’s Ascertainment Hearing
At the public hearing on whether to renew a cable television license to Verizon New England, Inc., Westwood Media Center, which receives funding from Verizon New England, advocated that the license be renewed.
WMC Executive Director Melissa Garfield asked that Verizon be asked to contribute $319,690 in capital funding to WMC over the next five years. Funding is needed to build a creative media suite at the public library, upgrade WMC’s playback systems to distribute information across several platforms, and keep equipment up to date, she said. She also asked Select Board members to support bills currently before the House and Senate which would provide funding for community cable providers like WMC in future years.
Positive comments in support of Westwood Media Center were made by Mr. Pat Ahearn in his capacity as a resident and not town counsel. Supportive comments were also made by Mr. Coleman, Mr. Walsh, Mr. Gotti, and by Member of the Board of Assessors, Ms. Nancy Hyde, whose comment was read into the record.
Select Board determined to keep this hearing open until its December 20, 2021 meeting. However, even after the hearing closes, the town will continue the ascertainment process to determine community’s future cable related needs. Written testimony on the community’s future cable related needs may be submitted to the Select Board by emailing selectboard@townhall.westwood.ma.us or mailing comments to Select Board at its 580 High Street address.
Identifying a Dog as “Dangerous”
Select Board adopted Town Administrator Christopher Coleman’s recommendation to identify a dog as a dangerous dog. On October 7, 2021, Mr. Coleman acted as Hearing Officer in a hearing about a dog bite that occurred in the summer. The dog owners no longer reside in Westwood, but Mr. Coleman noted that a process would be undertaken to communicate the dangerous dog determination with the town to which the owners had moved.
Mr. Walsh inquired if due process had been followed for the hearing. Town Counsel Pat Ahearn responded that anyone who was present at the hearing - the dog attack victim and dog owner - had a chance to speak. After Mr. Walsh’s question, Select Board unanimously decided to adopt the recommendation of the Hearing Officer. The decision from the dog hearing will be attached to the minutes to the December 6, 2021 Select Board Meeting.
Winter Parking Restrictions in Effect
Chair Michael Walsh reminded residents that from December 1, 2021 through March 31, 2021, winter parking restrictions are in effect. Residents should not park in the streets, so that streets can be cleaned for ice and snow removal. He also asked residents to remember to clear hydrants and catch basins after a snowstorm.
Recognition of Westwood Police Chief Jeffrey Silva
A woman who had been assisted by Westwood Police Chief Jeffrey Silva gave an emotional retelling of her interaction with him. She works at Gillette and met Chief Silva, who noticed she was shivering from cold on the windy, rainy day. Thirty minutes later, he came out of the pro shop to give her a sweater he had just bought.
“Such a heartfelt action that Chief Silva did,” she said, with emotion. “It’s so amazing to know that there are people like you, Jeff, that just care about people. It’s so selfless, it’s amazing. Thank you.”
Next Meeting
The next Select Board meeting is Monday, December 20, 2021 at 7 p.m., with plans to offer a hybrid experience with an in-person option as well as Zoom.
