Clarksburg Has Buyers for Cruisers; OKs Exemption Income Hike
CLARKSBURG, Mass. — The Select Board will be deciding next week who will get the town's police cruisers.
At Monday's meeting, it also approved changes in the property tax exemptions, including raising the income limit.
The board had voted to dissolve police department in March and rely on the State Police. The two cruisers, including one purchased in 2021, have been taking up space in the garage ever since.
Town Administrator Ronald Boucher on Monday said Adams, Cheshire and Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts had all evinced interest in the vehicles.
MCLA Lt. Mark Denault attended Monday's meeting and said the college was ready to purchase the newer cruiser.
"I'm here to just hear what the board has to say and where they're headed," said Denault. "We're ready now. MCLA is ready. So if we have a purchase-sale agreement tomorrow, we're ready to cut a check tomorrow."
The Adams Finance Committee was reviewing a possible purchase of both vehicles that night. Police Chief F. Scott Kelley had told the Adams Selectmen at a budget workshop in April that the department needed to get on a schedule to update its fleet.
"When I took over four years ago, the last time they had a patrol car ordered was 2015 delivered in 2016," he said. "So all of our units, except for two which I was able to get in my tenure, are 2015 and older. So by that rationale, obviously these vehicles are going to start falling apart."
On Thursday, Select Board member Daniel Haskins said Adams had indicated it was interested in the cruisers and that the board would review bids on Tuesday, when it holds a budget meeting.
Assessor Emily Schilling attended Monday's meeting to request the board consider raising the income on the senior property tax exemption to $30,000 and lowering the age to 65.
The current income cap is $20,000 and the age 70. On a $500 exemption, the town receives a state reimbursement of $87.50.
She also asked that the town adopt MGL Chap. 59, Sec. 5, 17D and 41D, which would update exemptions and allow the assessor to peg the income criteria to the Consumer Price Index every year.
"I'm making a suggestion that we lower it to 65 and then if we adopt the [Clause] 41D that allows the assessor to change the income and asset requirements on an annual basis, based on the [cost of living] increases that the state puts out every year," she said.
Schilling said she'd had to reject all but two applications this year because they were above the $20,000 income line, which is now less than an annual Social Security income.
An assessor should have been presenting the board with an updated income cap every year but she could not find it had ever been done so the cap had never changed.
"I feel like more people collect Social Security now than ever. COVID unemployed a lot of people, and a lot of people weren't able to get jobs afterwards, so they started collecting Social Security early," she said. "So there are a few more out there that do need a little bit more help with paying for their real estate."
Chair Robert Norcross wasn't convinced on dropping the age, noting that about 30 percent of the town would be in line for the exemption. Board member Colton Andrews was also leery, wondering if they could table it until Schilling could come back with more information.
The assessor could not answer to how many would apply but added there were about 20 applications by those older than 70 and one younger this year.
The board asked about other exemptions and Schilling explained veterans who are 10 to 90 percent disabled because their service get $400, those 100 percent disabled get $1,000, and surviving spouses are 100 percent exempted (of which the town has one). Legally blind residents get a $500 exemption.
The board decided to move ahead with approving the income change but left the age for seniors at 70.
In other business, the board approved a new information technology contract with Jason Morin, who maintains the town's website and systems.
"I've been able to streamline so many things that there's actually a decrease in how much I'm needed, but my rates have gone up in the past four years," he said. "So, a give and take in that area there."
Board member Daniel Haskins endorsed the renewal, saying, "he's always on top of it. If there's an issue, he's right on top of it, and doesn't leave us hanging at all."
• Boucher updated the board on the budget process with the expectation of meeting next Tuesday to review. He said he'd put $5,000 in for grant writing, assuming that the grant writer would eventually pay for themselves, and funding to contract with the Berkshire Health Alliance.
"They're like an enforcement agency that'll go around — and we have public health issues, which we have a lot more around here, with garbage and stuff like generators running 24/7, because people don't pay their electric bills," he said. "They'll be able to impose fines and follow them all the way through the court system."
• Boucher said he's also working on a junk car law with "bite." The problem has been enforcement but he believes working with the BHA will clean things up and bring in revenue. He's also preparing a bylaw on banning dogs from town property which will also have to be approved by town meeting.
• The generator has been installed at the Community Center at a cost of about $21,000, compared to a second bid of $50,000. The town will have to provide the propane tanks. Boucher said the town got back $27,000 from the fire truck purchase that would cover it.
Tags: police cruiser, property taxes, tax exemption,
