Government

Councilor Tony Palomba Holding Three Meetings with Public

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City Councilor At-Large Tony Palomba. As part of the changes to the Watertown Charter all City Councilors must have an annual meeting to meet with the public. City Councilor At-Large Tony Palomba announced dates for three meetings. See info below. City Councilor Tony Palomba is inviting you to join him at one or all of three Annual Councilor Meetings:

Saturday, December 10, 2022 from 3:45 PM to 4:45 PM in the Watertown Savings Bank Room on the first floor, Watertown Free Public Library, 123 Main Street, Watertown.

Government

City Councilor Caroline Bays Invites Public to Annual Meeting

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Caroline Bays seeks re-election as a Town Councilor At-Large. As part of the changes to the Watertown Charter all City Councilors must have an annual meeting to meet with the public. City Councilor At-Large Caroline Bays announced the date of her meeting. See info below. Caroline Bays will hold her annual meeting in the Council Chambers on the second floor of City Hall, 149 Main St., on Dec.

Government

Council’s Budget Priorities for FY 2024 Include Watertown Square Study, Rodent Control & 311 System

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Watertown City Hall

The City Council gave City Manager George Proakis its priorities for the Fiscal Year 2024 budget, which includes funds for a study of the future of Watertown Square, rodent control, and launching a 311 system. Each year, the Council’s Budget and Fiscal Oversight Committee meets in the fall to discuss the priorities for the next fiscal year’s budget. The results were presented on Nov. 22, and adopted by the full Council. Other items added include staffing to make sure the changes to the Comprehensive Plan are implemented, focusing on snow and ice removal as a possible residential requirement is considered, and implementation of recommendations coming out of plans and studies, including the Personnel Department assessment, the salary study, the Energy and Climate Plan, and the Health and Human Services Study.

Government

Council Approves Tax Rates, Cannot Shift Burden onto Commercial as Much as in Past

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A State law that allows cities and towns to shift the tax rates from residential properties to commercial and industrial properties also stands in the way of providing as much relief to homeowners as the City Council would like. Last week, the City Council adopted the new tax rate with a split tax rate and residential exemption that would increase the average annual tax bill by $309 or 4.4 percent. State Law’s Impact on Watertown Taxes

Proposition 2 1/2, which is known for limiting the overall tax levy increase to 2.5 percent per year, also allows for some relief of up to residential property owners. Watertown City Assessor Earl Smith told the City Council on Nov. 22 that the law also limits how much can be “shifted” onto CIP (commercial, industrial and personal) properties.

Government

Property Tax Rates to be Discussed by City Council

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The annual Watertown property tax classification hearing and vote will be held by the City Council on Tuesday, Nov. 22, and taxes look likely to rise in Fiscal Year 2023. City Assessor Earl Smith will present the Tax Classification during the meeting, which begins at 7 p.m. The presentation can be seen by clicking here. The Watertown Board of Assessors recommends adopting the maximum shift from residential properties to CIP (commercial, industrial and personal) properties, which is 150 percent, according to the presentation. Also, the Board recommends that the Council provide a residential exemption of 33 percent, which would be three percentage points higher than Fiscal Year 2022.

Government

Council Approves Adding $4.3 Million to FY23 Budget, Plans to Spend Most of Funds

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Watertown City Hall

Watertown’s Fiscal Year 2023 budget increased by $4.325 million when the City Council approved the budget amendment on Nov. 9. Most of the additional funds will go to help purchase the former Parker School or will go into the High School project stabilization fund. City Manager George Proakis gave the details of the budget amendment for the fiscal year that ends on June 30, 2023. The additional fund mostly come from accounts that came in higher than when the budget was approved last spring, Proakis said.