Pittsfield Senior Tax Work-Off Program Now Accepting

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Applications are now available for the city of Pittsfield's Senior Tax Work-Off Program for Fiscal Year 2025. 
 
Eligible candidates must be Pittsfield residential property owners 60 years of age and older at the time of the application.
 
Program applications must be postmarked or received by the Assessors' Office by May 31, 2024.
 
Active municipal employees are not eligible for the Senior Citizen Tax Work-Off Program.
 
There will be a limit of two participants per eligible property; however, the total abatement cannot exceed the maximum exemption of $2,000. Income eligibility shall be determined by using the locally adopted income eligibility guidelines of Massachusetts General Law Chapter 59, Section 5, clause 41D (plus an additional $5,000). 
 
The selection of participants will be based on need and shall be valid for one year.
 
In the event that other opportunities become available, qualified volunteers not selected for this program will be placed on a waiting list in order of need. The city is not obligated to offer another position if a volunteer declines an assignment.
 
If you are married, your yearly income cannot exceed $43,786.00; for an individual, yearly income cannot exceed $36,890.00. All volunteer work must be completed between June 1, 2024 and November 30, 2024.
 
An application for this program can be found on the city website: http://cityofpittsfield.org/city_hall/board_of_assessors/index.php
 
Applications are also available at the Assessors' Office, which is in City Hall, Room 108, 70 Allen St.
 
For more information, contact the Assessors' Office at (413) 395-0102.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Adams Man Convicted in Murder of Stephanie Olivieri

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — An Adams man was found guilty in the 2019 murder of 32-year-old Stephanie Olivieri, a Pittsfield native and mother of two.
 
A jury found Tyler Sumner, 30, guilty on Friday of murder in the first degree and possession of ammunition without a Firearm Identification Card.
 
The trial was held in Berkshire Superior Court. Judge Francis Flannery will schedule sentencing.
 
"Today justice was served in the tragic death of an innocent bystander, Stephanie Olivieri; however, this guilty verdict will do nothing to bring her back," said Berkshire District Attorney Timothy Shugrue. "Tyler Sumner murdered Ms. Olivieri while she sat in a car filled with gifts and decorations for her child's birthday. She was preparing to celebrate a wonderful event when her life was ruthlessly cut short."
 
Olivieri, who had been living in Yonkers, N.Y., was found sitting in her running car on Columbus Avenue when police responded to reports of masked men near South John Street and heard gunshots on the way.
 
The officers found Olivieri gasping for breath and blood running down the right side of her head. She was treated by emergency medical services and then transported to Berkshire Medical Center, where she was later pronounced dead. The Chief Medical Examiner found the cause of her death to be a homicide caused by wounds sustained from a bullet to her head.
 
Multiple individuals testified that they believed Sumner was targeting an individual living in the area of the shooting and that Olivieri was not the intended target.
 
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