Bill would exempt seniors from override tax hikes

By Lindsey Parietti/Daily News staff
The MetroWest Daily News
Mar 05, 2008

Theresa Carr is doing everything she can to stay in her Terrace Road home in Natick.

Carr, 67, works full time as a record clerk at the Kennedy Senior Center, and until recently, held a part-time job at Ethan Allen to help pay her $4,100 property tax bill and other living expenses.

But with a $3.9 million property tax override on the table, Carr may soon be asked to contribute more.

"It's a struggle, but I'm very determined to make it work so I can be as self-sufficient as possible," said Carr, who is exactly the type of property owner that lawmakers hope to exempt from Proposition 2 1/2 overrides.

Last week the House passed a bill that would exempt homeowners older than 65 who make less than $60,000 annually from paying any property tax increase that results from an override.

Supporters say the abatement will help protect seniors, many of whom live on fixed incomes, from the rising costs of living in Massachusetts.

"Anything we can do to be sympathetic to senior citizens who want to remain in the town but who are frustrated by rising property taxes," said state Rep. Pam Richardson, D-Framingham. "If the cities and towns think it's something they need, then we should allow them to make that decision."

But during House debate last week, opponents argued that the bill is unfair to younger residents and is a political move to lessen override opposition by appeasing elderly voters.

"This bill is trying to give comfort to make the decision easier for a group of citizens who generally go to the polls and generally know the issues and in some cases, and in a lot of cases, they haven't supported a lot of the override questions," said state Rep. George Peterson Jr., R-Grafton, according to a State House News Service transcript of Thursday's House session.

State Rep. David Linsky, D-Natick, who voted for the bill, disagrees.

"My experience is that senior citizens are not universally opposed to voting for overrides anyway because many senior citizens are excellent supporters of the public schools. ... I don't buy the argument that this is about making it easier to pass Prop 2<+>1<+>/<->2<-> overrides," he said.

Carr plans to vote for the proposed Natick override, saying, "I know it will hurt, but I believe the override is important and it is necessary."

Natick Selectman Carol Gloff said giving seniors an abatement makes sense since they don't use the school and other services that overrides help fund.

"We definitely will consider it if it gets passed by the Senate. I think it has the potential to be a really good idea," she said.

But Selectman Charles Hughes said senior citizens should not be exempt from paying the proposed property tax hike.

"The override in Natick isn't all about schools, it's about townwide services," he said, pointing out that the Kennedy Senior Center may see budget cuts if the override fails.

State Sen. Karen Spilka, D-Ashland, has proposed a bill that would allow cities and towns to exempt low-income seniors from tax increases if the money is needed for schools, but not if it would pay for emergency or other general services.

"It gets to the point where sometimes if (the senior citizen vote) is what is really preventing the town from passing (an override) and people want to support it, then we should give people options," she said.

Although he opposes Wayland's proposed $1.9 million override, Selectman Alan Reiss views the abatement as a way to protect some of the town's most vulnerable citizens.

"If you found a way to protect the elderly I would say go for it," he said. "I'm not worried that (exempting the elderly) would make an override pass in the future, I'm really worried about protecting the people who can't keep up. I'm worried about the wealthier segment of the population pushing out the poorer segment."

Based on the median property value of $544,300, a Wayland homeowner would see their annual tax bill go up approximately $330 if the override is approved, Reiss said.

The current language of the bill, sponsored by state Rep. Ruth Balser, D-Newton, allows each municipality the option of offering the abatement, which can be suspended or reinstated on an annual basis.

To be eligible for the abatement, seniors would also have to show that their property tax bills would exceed 10 percent of their annual income.

State Rep. Paul Loscocco, R-Holliston, said if the state wants to help senior citizens it should put more money into abatements that are funded through the Department of Revenue and not connected to overrides.

"It's bad policy to have representation without taxation and set up one group against another," he said. "Everybody who is going to vote for a tax increase should be prepared to pay for that tax increase."