By Geena Monahan—For the North Star Reporter
A measure for North Attleborough senior citizens that had been in the works for nine months was approved by the Town Council at its Sept. 8, meeting, promising tax relief for 500 qualifying residents starting next summer.
All nine councilors in attendance voted unanimously to pass this final version of the measure, which has seen numerous changes over many meetings. Town Counsel KP Law reviewed and amended the version of the measure voted on by the council in May. This will serve as the basis for filing a Home Rule Petition to the Massachusetts Legislature to authorize the program’s legal implementation.
The version of the bill now takes into consideration only the value of the home and income as asset criteria, and requires that a homeowner live specifically in North Attleborough — not Massachusetts — for at least 10 years.
“Remember, the ultimate goal here was to protect North Attleborough seniors who were being priced out of their homes,” said Finance Subcommittee Chair John Simmons. “If we find after the first year that we have too many, or too few applicants, we can always look at the qualifying criteria again.”
Councilor Dan Donovan noted that this is a tax shift onto other North Attleborough residents and it makes sense to limit the relief to those who have also lived in town for an extended period of time.
According to the measure, the tax relief will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis for the initial 500 residents who apply. A resident must be at least 67 years old in order to apply and if filing with a co-applicant, that person must be at least 62 years old. Additionally, an applicant’s home must be valued at or less than the average assessed value of a single-family home in North Attleborough, which is currently $569,820.
The income criteria was lowered at a previous Finance Subcommittee in an attempt to reach more senior citizens who need aid. The new criteria are:
- Single applicants: $70,000
- Head of household: $80,000
- Joint applicants: $90,000
Residents who currently utilize the senior work-off program are not eligible for additional tax relief under this measure, and applications must be submitted annually by Sept. 1 to the Assessor’s Office, with all required income and asset documentation.
Breaking down the benefits
At the May 28 Town Council meeting, Town Manager Michael Borg demonstrated the math behind the proposal, which showed that non-qualifying homeowners’ taxes will go up $11.25 per quarter, or $45 a year.
“Make no mistake, we are putting our hands in other people’s pockets to help, but $11.25 a quarter to effectuate close to $1,000 in tax relief for seniors, who in these situations need it, I’m willing to ask people to do that,” said Simmons at that same meeting.
Borg had also provided a mock-up of what the tax relief amounts would look like, using an example of a qualifying senior who owned a home valued at $350,000. According to Borg’s calculations, this homeowner would receive a $978 property tax exemption.
Councilor Mark Gould proposed a similar tax relief measure in January that was tied to the passage of a debt exclusion vote for a new high school — an effort that did not gain support from his fellow councilors. Gould said he was overall in favor of the amended measure, but would have preferred giving the Assessor’s Office more discretion to deny applicants with significant assets and to raise the qualifying home value threshold to approximately 25% above the average.
“I’m glad to support this,” said Gould. “It has changed since it was introduced and it’s become more of a true team effort. This is going to help seniors.”
According to state Rep. Adam Scanlon (D-North Attleborough), he plans to file the bill as soon as possible to move the process along. The bill will be referred to the Joint Committee on Revenue, and a public hearing will be held before being sent to either the Ways and Means or Rules committees.
Once the House and Senate both pass identical versions of the bill it can go to the office of Gov. Maura Healey for her final signature of approval.
Senior tax relief is an issue Scanlon has championed for since bringing forth the Senior Circuit Breaker Tax Credit legislation, and he looks forward to what he called a “unique opportunity” to file his first-ever Home Rule Petition.
“This allows me to shine a spotlight on North Attleborough and what makes our community a special place, to share its values and approaches to different things,” said Scanlon. “We look forward to getting the process underway at this level and trying to work as quickly as possible to deliver a resolve back to the town.”