Adams Selectmen Review Potential Tax, Fee Hikes

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
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The Selectmen are pondering ways to bring in revenue without affecting the town's low-income or elderly population.

ADAMS, Mass. — The town is looking at fee increases that will create revenue without altering the property tax rate.

Town Administrator Anthony Mazzucco explained four possible options to the Selectmen on Wednesday night that would allow the town continue affording services and development.

"The goal of looking at them is to find a way to provide revenue for the town with our declining budget and our declining resources, but also, to the greatest extent possible, look for revenue sources that don't hit the elderly or the taxpayers who are least able to afford them," Mazzucco said.

The first option was to adopt the Community Preservation Act, a state law that allows adopting communities to raise funds dedicated to preserving open space, recreation, housing and historic preservation.

A surcharge of between 1 and 3 percent of the property valuation would be added to the tax bill. Mazzucco said there is freedom to craft exemptions for low- to moderate-income individuals. Williamstown, for example, has adopted a 2 percent surcharge of property valuation but exempts the first $100,000 of value.

With the average property value in Adams (about $140,000), he does not anticipate a large amount of revenue would be created, but the state averages a match of 40 percent, which come from deed transfers throughout the state. He said this amount can be rolled over into the next fiscal year.

The Selectmen said they looked at this program in the past and felt it was not a good fit for Adams.

Selectman Joseph Nowak said he was worried about how much the return from the state fluctuates and whether it would meet Adams' needs for what it costs.

"The towns in Berkshire County that are there are Williamstown, Great Barrington, Stockbridge, Lenox and Becket," Nowak said. "That says to me that the well-to-do towns got into the program, and I think it would be a very big cost in our community."

Selectman John Duval said he was hesitant to accept something that increased property taxes for a large portion of the community. He thought it seemed like a bad idea at the moment when the town is trying to lower costs to its citizens.

Mazzucco said he shared the board's concerns and will seek out a representative from the program to present to the board.

He also said the board could create revenue by increasing lodging and meal taxes. The Legislature allowed communities to adopt a 2 percent rooms tax and a .75 percent meals tax, on top of the state taxes, to help offset cuts in state aid six years ago. The board had rejected the meals tax in 2011 but town meeting approved a 2 percent rooms tax when it was discovered it would have to implement a 4 percent tax passed a decade before.

Chairman Arthur "Skip" Harrington said these taxes have not been increased in a long time and the town is losing money by keeping them so low.  

"All of the other communities in the area are doing it and they are getting a good reaping of that," Harrington said. "We are losing out on $70,000 to $80,000 a year. It's not a lot of cash but it is additional money we don't have to put on the tax roll."



Nowak said he was worried the increases could negatively affect local businesses.

"I think many of them are just teetering on making a living with doing what they are doing, and I think any bit of extra little money that comes out of their pockets might be detrimental," he said.

Harrington said he did not feel a small increase would keep people from eating at restaurants or staying at a hotel, bed and breakfast, or lodge.

"Where have you ever gone in the past where you have lodged somewhere and there is a local tax to stay there ... and you say 'I am not going to stay here I'm going to pitch a tent?' " Harrington said.

Director of Community Development Donna Cesan said that even though Adams does not have a lot of lodging, this will change after the Greylock Glen is developed. She said it would be more difficult to negotiate the master lease while imposing a tax increase.

Selectmen Richard Blanchard said he was initially against these increases when the town looked at them several years ago. He said his opinion may have changed with the influx of tourism in town.

"I still don't know yet because I thought it was just another tax for the residents," Blanchard said. "Although now with a lot more folks in town that are not residents going to restaurants, it may be worth it."  

Mazzucco said he would like to reach out to local establishments affected by the taxes to "get on the same page with which direction the town wants to go."

He also advocated revisiting fees such as building inspector fees to make sure the town is making enough money to support the service. He said it is also important that Adams' fees are in line with surrounding communities.

Cesan agreed with Mazzucco, saying the town needs to do a better job with keeping its fees up to date. She said the last time they were changed was in 2004.

"The elderly person that is trying to make ends meet is subsidizing somebody who is adding an addition to their homes and to me that is out of whack," she said. "By keeping up the fees, we make sure the people benefit from the review are paying not all of it, but some kind of a proportional cost."

Mazzucco said it may be a good idea in the future to separate the fees from the town charter and put them in a bylaw so they are more organized and easier to increase when needed.

Harrington said he would like to work on making these increases so they affect the next budget year.


Tags: CPA,   fees,   meals tax,   motels, hotels,   

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Adams Sees No Races So Far

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
ADAMS, Mass. — With less than a week left before nomination papers are due, there are currently no contested seats.
 
Only selectman incumbent John Duval has returned papers. Selectman Howard Rosenberg has decided not to seek re-election. 
 
Rosenberg, who was elected in 2021, said he has chosen not to run again to make room for younger candidates.
 
"I feel strongly, we need younger people running for public office,  as the future of our town lies within the younger  generation. The world is so fundamentally different today and rapidly changing to become even more so. I believe we need people who are less interested in trying to bring back the past, then in paving the way for a promising future. The younger generation can know that they can stay here and have a voice without having to leave for opportunities elsewhere," he said.
 
The only person to return papers so far is former member the board Donald Sommer. Sommer served as a selectman from 2007 to 2010 and before that was a member of the School Committee and the Redevelopment Authority. He ran unsuccessfully for selectman in 2019 and again in 2021 but dropped out of before the election.
 
Incumbent Moderator Myra Wilk and Town Clerk Haley Meczywor have returned papers for their respective positions.
 
Assessor Paula Wheeler has returned papers and incumbents James Loughman and Eugene Michalenko have returned papers for library trustees.
 
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