Pittsfield Council Again Rejects Eversource Pole Request Over Unpaid Taxes
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The City Council rejected a new jointly owned utility pole request from NSTAR, doing business as Eversource, and Verizon New England for the second time on Tuesday with a clear message: pay your taxes.
With taxes and interest combined, Eversource owes the city about $5 million. It is legal for the company to appeal its taxes as long as it is paying half of the personal property amount.
The city has used a blended method to appraise the utility since 2018 and Eversource has been challenging its personal property bill since that time, paying only about half.
The case is currently pending before the state Appellate Tax Board.
"Under the law, if they are challenging the values they do not have to pay their third and fourth quarter bills and they have not done that for numerous years," Finance Director Matthew Kerwood confirmed.
"And that's what we're challenging at the Appellate Tax Board."
He explained that other communities use the same methodology that Pittsfield uses and Eversource has unsuccessfully challenged them.
In November, the council first rejected the proposal.
The request is to place the poles, wires, cables, and related fixtures on the north side of East Housatonic Street about 145 feet west from the centerline of Deming Street. The pole is intended to better support the existing pole line and allow for cables to continue down Copley Terrace.
Because of the unpaid tax bills, Councilor at Large Earl Persip III reiterated his stance in not supporting this pole or any other pole from the company.
Ward 7 Councilor Anthony Maffuccio also voiced his opposition to the poles but for a different reason.
"I won't be supporting any pole in the future because we have quite a few double-up poles in the city of Pittsfield that Verizon has taken their time, it's been like four years and they haven't transferred the utilities over to the new pole yet and Spectrum hasn't done that either," He said.
"So I won't be supporting any new poles that come from me until those issues start to be resolved in the city of Pittsfield."
The vote to deny the request was unanimous among the councilors.
In other news, because the city is out of the "red zone" for COVID-19 transmission. Director of Public Health Andy Cambi will be giving the council a COVID update once a month rather than twice.
This was suggested by Maffuccio and Cambi agreed.
The percent positivity rate on Monday was 4.2 and the average case rate was 23.4 per 100,000 people.
Cambi also reported that the Stop The Spread testing sites will be discontinued as of April 1, including Pittsfield's site at 505 East St.
He clarified that Berkshire Medical Center will still be offering testing but it will no longer be covered by the state.
