Around Town

Residents Wanted to Serve on Board of Assessors, Council on Aging & Solid Waste and Recycling Committee

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The City of Watertown seeks applicants interested in serving on the Board of Assessors, Council on Aging, and Solid Waste & Recycling Committee. See details in the following announcement provided by the City. City Manager George J. Proakis is seeking residents to serve on the Board of Assessors, Council on Aging, and Solid Waste & Recycling Committee. Interested applicants should complete and submit a Universal Application. The Board of Assessors is responsible for the fair and equitable valuation of all real and personal property.

Government

Public Review Period for Board of Assessors Conducting Property Revaluation is Dec. 2-6

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The following announcement was sent out by the City of Watertown Board of Assessors and first published on Nov. 26:

Following state statutes and Department of Revenue (DOR) regulations, the Board of Assessors is completing the FY2025 Quinquennial Revaluation of all real and personal property in Watertown. Revaluation is a year-long process when the DOR examines in detail all assessing methodologies used by the city, as well as the values derived through the mass appraisal system. These valuations are pending preliminarily approval by the Massachusetts Department of Revenue. The values are subject to change within this disclosure period.

Board of Assessors

Perkins, Town at Odds Over $1.4 Million Tax Bill After School Missed Deadline

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The Howe Building at Perkins School for the Blind. A piece of paperwork that was filed late has put Perkins School for the Blind and the Town of Watertown at odds over whether the school should pay nearly $1.5 million in taxes on its property or if the school be exempt from taxes, as it has operating as a non-profit in town for more than a century. A third option has been proposed, which would cost less than the full tax bill, but over the years would add up to far more than the $1.4 million. Perkins President and CEO Dave Power said the payment would take money away from the school’s mission of providing services to blind and visually impaired children and adults. The missed filing occurred in March 2019, but the issue became public Tuesday night at the Town Council meeting.

Board of Assessors

Watertown Property Values Reassessed by Board of Assessors, Will Result in Changes in Tax Bills

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The following announcement was provided by the Watertown Board of Assessors. Changes to tax rates will be shown on the third quarter tax bill, which comes out at the end of 2019:

PUBLIC NOTICETOWN OF WATERTOWNBOARD OF ASSESSORS

The Board of Assessors is required by Massachusetts General Law to reassess all properties and have those values certified by the Department of Revenue every five years. The Board of Assessors’ staff and Patriot Properties recently completed a town-wide reassessment and have submitted new property values for preliminary certification. New assessments must reflect “Full and Fair Cash Value” based on property sales in calendar year 2018. The valuation date for Fiscal Year 2020 is January 1, 2019.