Lanesborough Officials Urge Rejection of Land Tax Article
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A land tax change needs approval from the Legislature so the Selectmen feel even if a citizen's petition proposing it passes, there is still a chance it won't be implemented. |
LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — Town officials are strongly encouraging voters to attend the May 7 special town meeting for fear that a citizen's petition might actually pass.
Resident Albert Hartheimer received 220 signatures on a petition to switch the way property is taxed to encourage development by assessing more for open space.
Eventually, the move to Land Value Taxation would exclude building values from a property assessments, thus encouraging residents to improve their land.
The petition had enough signatures to schedule vote at a special town meeting, which few voters typically attend. In Feburary, a special town meeting to approve zoning changes for an aerial adventure park saw only 10 voters.
The May 7 meeting will be the fifth special town meeting in less than a year and is being held one month before the annual town meeting.
Officials are now afraid only those who stand to benefit from Hartheimer's petition will attend the meeting while the majority of residents may not be aware of it. Town leaders say there are bigger impacts that have not been considered and are now embarking on a campaign to make residents aware of the vote.
"We've got to get the word out to the public somehow that this is on a special town meeting," said Ronald Tinkham, who serves on an array of committees including the Zoning Board of Appeals.
He added that Hartheimer has already rallied supporters and that "we're going to have a loaded meeting."
Tinkham raised an array of questions about how a change in land valuation would affect the town's zoning, state funding and conservation programs. Selectmen Chairman John Goerlach added that those who own large plots of land would likely have their taxes increase immensely and they'd start "selling off" their property. Large land owners should be made aware of the proposal as well, he said.
"It is such an unknown," Goerlach said. "I am, personally, not in favor of this."
However, if the taxation proposal is voted in, it would still take legislative approval on Beacon Hill, which leads Selectman Robert Barton to feel it "is doomed" no matter what.
Nonetheless, Goerlach agreed with Tinkham that the town should use the message board in front of the Fire Department to spread the word about the upcoming meeting.
Additionally, he said businesses should be notified as well because the proposed exemptions during implementation could cause businesses to carry the majority of the tax load.
For example, the Berkshire Mall would see the largest increase, which Hartheimer says would be countered by an increase in residents purchasing goods with the extra money provided by the tax decreases. Berkshire Mall General Manager Joseph Scelsi said he was concerned with the the way the land evaluation is proposed to be implemented.
"This doesn't seem consistent with the vision of Lanesborough," Scelsi said, adding that it encourages residents to "build the biggest house on the smallest land."
He, too, had a lot of unanswered questions saying, "none of us know what the affects of something like this would be."
In a separate conversation, Town Moderator Rob Reilly asked the Selectmen to craft a bylaw that would make all petitions that have financial impacts be reviewed by the Finance Committee and attempt to limit what can go on a special town meeting warrant,
Reilly did not cite the Land Value Taxation petition specifically, but said the bylaw would "formalize the process" to make sure town officials have had a chance to review and provide insight into various proposals.
"My concern is to have something fall out of the sky that we don't know about," he said. "We need to assure that the Finance Committee has these on their list of duties."
The Finance Committee typically makes recommendations of warrant articles but often a citizens' petition can slip through without an examination by the committee. Reilly said he has seen ideas that "may be good or bad" come to the floor but if the Finance Committee hadn't had a chance to review it, it is "killed" immediately.
The bylaw would require the committee to take a position on all matters. Additionally, Reilly suggested limiting what can be on a special town meeting but Town Administrator Paul Seiloff said he doesn't believe that would be legal.
"We can't hold up a citizen's petition," Sieloff said, but agreed that the Finance Committee should be have input on all financial articles.
Tags: property taxes, property values, special town meeting,
