TOWN ADMINISTRATOR, MATTHEW COOGAN

We hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving holiday. This is the fifth edition of the Town of Boxford Quarterly Community Newsletter. As always, we aim for everyone to find these updates accessible and informative, and welcome feedback for improving communication with the public.

Looking ahead, budgeting and capital planning for the upcoming Fiscal Year 2024 (beginning July 1) kicks off this month. The Finance Committee and the Select Board will be holding
meetings throughout the winter to review department budgets and capital needs. These meetings will be posted on the town website and are open for the public to attend. They will be hybrid, attendees may join in person at Town Hall or remotely through Zoom.

We are also excited to announce that the Center at 10 Elm community center is just weeks away from opening to the public. The Select Board has recently created a committee to help develop and coordinate community events and programs for the newly created spaces. If you are interested in being part of developing the Center at 10 Elm, visit the town website for more information and how to apply. Likewise, we are always looking for residents interested in volunteering and getting involved in town government! Please visit the town webpage to see the list of vacant positions on our boards and committees.

Finally, we would also like to recognize our Finance Director, Kathy Benevento, who will be retiring this month. Kathy has served the town as Finance Director since 2006, during which time she reduced expenditures through Finance Department staffing changes, outsourcing of payroll processing and implementing paperless transactions and record storage. During her tenure, she has worked in close collaboration with the Finance Committee, Select Board, and department heads in the management of town finances. Her integrity and professionalism, along with her responsiveness to requests for information, earned her the respect of residents, employees and committee members. She led the financial team in a collaborative manner that directly contributed to the upgrade and maintenance of the Town’s AAA bond rating, reflective of a strong budgetary performance and adherence to sound financial policies. She retires leaving the Town of Boxford in excellent financial condition supported by wellmaintained records and reporting systems. While we congratulate and thank her for her service to the Town of Boxford, we are fortunate that we don’t have to say goodbye; Kathy will be taking on a new role as the part-time Town Accountant. Thank you, Kathy, and best wishes on your retirement!

TOWN CLERK

This fall the Town Clerk’s office administered two successful elections, which both included three weeks of early voting: the September State Primary, in which Democratic ballots were voted by 998 Boxford residents and Republican ballots by 634, and the November midterm election during which 4,154 of Boxford’s 6,590 registered voters (63%) participated either in person or by mail.

Our thanks go out to the dozens of election workers, Town Hall departments, DPW, as well as the Boxford Police and Fire Departments for their support throughout the election season. We enjoyed hosting a mock election for visiting third and fourth graders from Spofford Pond School and having Masconomet senior AP Government students volunteer to assist in preparing for and participating in Election Day work.

Currently, we are working on putting together the 2023 Annual Town Census. We hope to get it in the mail early next month and request that residents complete it and return it to Town Hall as soon as possible.

Dog licenses expire at the end of December and the census mailing will include a dog license application for the coming year. Applications and payment must be received no later than January 31, 2023.

HEALTH DEPARTMENT

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that everyone stay up to date with COVID19 vaccination, including all primary series doses and boosters for their age group. Individuals over 6 months of age should get all COVID-19 primary series doses. Individuals ages 5 years and older should get all primary series doses and the updated BIVALENT booster dose recommended for them by CDC, if eligible. Statewide vaccination sites can be found here: https://vaxfinder.mass.gov/

Everyone is eligible for booster shots. At this time, it is expected that COVID vaccines will be annual, like the Flu vaccine. While there is a need to determine individual risk factors for people before they get vaccinated, vaccination is widely considered a safe and easy way to reduce the severity of the illness and to reduce the spread of disease. Additionally, if variants do not mutate, long-term immunity may exist with a combination of both vaccination and natural immunity. That is still to be determined, however; we just don't know how long the current vaccines last yet.

Next vaccine clinic at Masconoment High School: Friday December 16th, 3-6pm The Boxford Health Department has Covid testing kits available for Town residents.

TREASURER/TAX COLLECTOR

The Boxford Health Department has Covid testing kits available for Town residents. Boxford has a very high (99%+) tax collection rate due to informed and responsible residents.

Online and personally delivered tax payments are a guarantee to timely receipt and avoidance of late fees and interest charges. USPS mail deliveries have resulted in late payments in some cases.

Real estate tax bills are mailed twice each year (on 6/30 and 12/31); payments are due quarterly (on 2/1, 5/1, 8/1 and 11/1). In Massachusetts, interest accrues
at 14% per annum on overdue taxes through date payment is received by the town.

Town Code Chapter 109, Article 1 provides that town boards and committees may deny, revoke or suspend licenses or permits to a property owner with taxes
owing in excess of one year. A tax delinquency for a previous fiscal year could result in the recording of a tax lien if the taxpayer fails to make payment or does not enter into and abide by a payment plan agreement.

Real estate tax records are public information. The Tax Collector is legally obligated to respond to all requests about property tax assessments and payment status. Mortgage companies request the entire tax file of the town periodically to verify that taxes have been paid and that the town does not take a primary lienholder position.

It is in a property owner’s best interest to pay taxes in a timely manner. Please call the office to discuss any reasons for inability to do so in order to protect your home.

ASSESSING DEPARTMENT

At the 2022 Annual Town Meeting, residents voted to adopt Local Option Personal
Exemption Clause 57. This exemption allows Seniors who receive “circuit breaker” tax
credits on their Massachusetts state income taxes to obtain a reduction of their real estate taxes up to the amount of their credits.

Who is eligible?

You must own and occupy the property as of July 1 st of the fiscal year.
You must be 65 or older.
You must have received a “circuit breaker” credit on your Massachusetts state income taxes for the preceding calendar year.

How to apply?

Applications must be filed annually with the Board of Assessors by April 1st

You must include a full copy of your Massachusetts state income tax return for the preceding year, including Schedule CB (Circuit Breaker Credit). For the current Fiscal Year 2023, please submit your 2021 tax return.

Exemption amounts will be determined once all applications have been submitted for the year (after April 1st). Applicants will be notified of their exemption amount, which will be abated off of the 4 th quarter tax bills. Any overpayments will be refunded.

Questions?

For more information on Clause 57 or any of the other property tax exemptions available, please contact the Assessor’s office.

For more information on the State Circuit Breaker Tax Credit, please contact your tax preparer or the Massachusetts Department of Revenue.

Click Here To View The Town of Boxford Community Newsletter - December 1, 2022