 We are recording. Okay. I call this meeting as the chair I call this meeting to order pursuant to the two chapter 20 of the acts of 2021 this meeting will be conducted by remote means. Members of the public who wish to access the meeting may do so by zoom or by telephone. Or, via, or via www dot Amherst MA dot gov. No in person attendance of members of the public will be permitted but every effort will be made to ensure that the public can adequately access the proceedings in real time by technological need. I call this meeting to order. Okay, and at this time the town of Amherst is recording this meeting as stated before. If anyone else is doing so at this time please notify me now. Do we have anyone in the gallery right now. Not. Okay, so hearing none. We will move on to public participation which we don't have any currently so we'll leave that open for now. Let me share my screen with you all. Nope, that's not the one. There it is I think. Okay. Can you all see that. Okay, so here is the minutes from our meeting on November 17th. Any comments questions. Lee. No questions. All right. No questions for me either. I move that we accept the minutes of provisional to some pending some comment from Ken if Ken has anything to say about them. Second. Please say aye. Okay, so we can come back to those when Ken joins us. Moving on here we have some excise abatement so you will see there are three years here for the week of 1114 through 1130. In 2020, we have one excise abatement totaling $69 and 83 cents. In 2021 we have two abatements totaling $100 and 29 cents. And in 2022 that is calendar year. We have 15 abatements totaling $1,533 and 94 cents for a total of $1,704 and 6 cents again for the week of 1114 through 1130. I move to approve those abatements. All those in favor please say aye. Okay. Next on our list here we have a lien for chapter 61 a this lien. I believe Teresa was a sale of this parcel so we're just updating the ownership. So we're just this part, excuse me this parcel on map nine Diaz and dog walk 26. There are 25 acres plus or minus of which all will be classified under chapter 61 a so meaning they will be farming this parcel to some nature. So, it's new or did we touch, did we start to discuss this last meeting. This is new from last meeting. This is new. We did not talk about this last time. Yeah, yep. So basically what we're asking here is for the county to be able to farm this piece of property. So we're asking for you to agree that that they will do so and to give them the discount of chapter 61 a depending on what exactly they're doing. And by that I mean are they are they haying the field, are they having field crops are they doing tobacco so on and so forth, which they will notify us on their application each year of what exactly they're doing. They're reporting the lean at the registry of deeds, stating that the town has the first right of refusal and stating that they understand the application process, the lean the rollback tax so on and so forth. Just curious where is this parcel. The parcel is, hold on one second, I don't see that we put that on there on 9026. It is located on northeast street. I believe it's a landlocked piece of property. Oh it is okay. And this, this has this been in 61 a before. It has. Yes, the previous owner. The previous owner was, I'm not even going to try to say their last name because I don't want to watch it. But yes, it was previously farmed. For many, many years it looks like so they just have cold has purchased this parcel to continue farming. Okay, I move the recording of this lean. We have deeds under our signatures. Second. So you guys will have to come into and sign that. All three of us. Okay. Yeah. All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Okay, so again, each board member will have to come into the office to sign that. So we'll can have to come into if he's not here or how does that work? Yes, yes, because we have put him on the seat down here as a, as a member of the board so he will have to come in as well. Hopefully he will be on shortly and then we can just review these, these items with him. Otherwise, he can, he can take a look at them when he comes into sign, I guess. Okay, so I'm next piece of paperwork. Sorry, there's a little bug in my face. Next piece of work that you received was just a copy of the clause 41 C requirements. So you'll see the assets and income. This is something that we will be discussing in executive session, following the 17 D as well so those were just so that you guys could have them and if need be when we go into executive session to review these, I can certainly open those up and share them with you again as well. And just one question in case somebody actually comes up and actually looks at the YouTube video of this. Sure. Do these numbers get updated periodically. Yes, yep, so every year the state sends us the multiplier so that we can figure out how to increase these. I've never seen it decrease. At some point it's a possibility. I'm sorry, I have a little bug flying in my face. It's probably possible for it to go down but I've never seen. So they're updated every year. Yes. Oh, so you get you get it you receive a formula from the state. Yes. All right. Yep, and then we update the income and the assets. And this gets published on the website. Yes, and there was some discrepancy last meeting as to what the four, you know which, which page to look at I think there was a spot where last year's information had not been updated that has since been updated so the website should reflect this page. Exactly, as well as this page here for the clause 17 D. This one I don't this one doesn't update as as much as the clause 41 C asset limitation has been set at 40,000 for quite some time I believe. But again, if it was to update the state would be sending us that information and they do periodically do that. Do they have a specific timeline as to when they do that or do they, if they just sort of wait to see, you know, where inflation and where, where people's wages are. But that one does not update yearly. We have a range of choices as among them to the do the municipalities have rain, a range of choices as to what what the exemptions are going to be somewhat. We in Amherst here we've adopted as much as we possibly can at this point for our seniors. So this particular exemption can be as low as 175 as as what the person would receive on off their taxes here in Amherst you'll see that it is 298 dollars. So you will, you will see that this we've adopted to be able to get up to that amount. And so and then going back to the the cause 41 C I just want to say hello to Ken. Okay. That's okay. Okay. So what what we're going over right now is just the exemption page qualifications for the seniors. So we just just explained that these figures are updated each year, and that Amherst has adapted to be able to give most the most money to the seniors who qualify. So what I was stating was that the cause 17D does not update the in the asset limitations every year. That is something still that the state gives us but we do give up to 298 dollars rather than the 175 that the cause is set at from the state. I just want to cut in because I think that 298 is wrong. I think it's 319 now. Okay, so we should update that we need to update that one that's. That was all updated. So just to reiterate again this 298 that I highlighted in red is actually 315 is that we said 319 I believe $319. So the citizen who would qualify for this would get $319 off of their taxes. Since town council. Yes, that should be town council has town council address these in any way. I think have a sneeze but it went away. Town council did. They did address these when we first voted to be able to accept this clause to increase that amount. They don't have to vote on it each year. They just have to vote to say yes we want to increase that amount. Overall based on the state figures. So you have a you have, you have some way of remembering to remind the council to vote on this. They don't they only have to vote on it one time so they have to vote to actually accept this cause with the particular increases every year from the state. Maybe maybe Kim you should take out the word recent. Just per decision. Agreed. Yes. Yes. So back up to the 41 C here these these figures are updated each year. And again the council had and again I think we should take out with the word recent. We have adopted to be able to increase this normally this exemption is up to $1,000. Some small towns in Massachusetts still have it set back at 750. So we have adopted the 1000 plus the ability to increase it up to $2,000. So, so we have really adopted as much as we possibly can to give the seniors as much as we possibly can. So it increases on a pre existing person who's correct. So if you qualify each year and you apply each year you can get up to $2,000. However, if you some for some reason, miss a year. You can start back at the $1,000, or if you if for some reason income has increased, and then it decreased again and you would qualify for this, then again you would have to start back at the 1000 but if you are applying each year and receiving the exemption each year you can get up to $2,000. So we have maxed out on the exemptions here correct state law. Yes. I guess this, this one's not exactly clear. Because if I was reading this as an elderly person which I am. I would think that I only get $1,000 off my tax bill because that's what the title says. Yes, and so we, we have to leave these forms somewhat we can't, we can't modify them too much based on state regulations. So, so it is sort of a nice surprise when they come in and we say you know next year you'll receive more. This is also something that I will be bringing to the senior center with me on Thursday to discuss. And so it will be put out to them that it starts at $1,000 and then increases, assuming that you would continue to to apply and qualify. So it is, it's a minimum of 1000 basically is what this is saying. And what time is that meeting at the senior center 11. Well, why don't we say minimum of 1000 off your tax bill. I mean, we can. Yeah, this is just a communicate. Where does it say I can get 2000. It doesn't say that on here. It says that we've adopted this figure and it may increase by up to 100% more which is right here. Yeah. But I don't understand why the first year I can't get 2000. So the first year you qualify you get 1000 and then each year thereafter, it increases by the amount that your, your assessment increases. So you can get up to $1000 excuse me up to $2000 over time and again, that's assuming that you continue to qualify and apply each year. And whether or not your assessment goes up or down if if your assessment goes down, it probably you know like if you got, say you got 1500. The previous year your assessment went down. And your assessment went down by 50 bucks. That exemption would go down by 50 bucks. Boy, this is confusing. Good luck keeping track of this Teresa. This is a very nice spreadsheet that's very easy to follow. No, is this. I mean the state made it this confusing. I'm sorry, can, can you're surprised by this now. I guess so. You can count you can give up to $2000 if you want to do it. And that's basically what they've done. So it's, you know, with a lot of strengths attached. Right. And I have to many years before I can get 2000, right. Right. Yeah. You, you get more elderly and you get, you can potentially get more of an exemption. That's our. Yeah. So I just want to go back can very quickly just to show you what we discussed before just to make sure that you're on the same page as us before we get into the assessor update. Here we have the classification, excuse me, the lean for a classified property in chapter 61 a this parcel was just recently sold to WD calls. It's located on northeast street, and it has been being farmed for many, many years. So we're just updating the ownership on the lean. And recording that at the registry of deeds. So that was voted and approved by the fellow members. And then also just so you actually released the lean on the previous owner then. Yes. Okay. Yeah, I think we, I think we did that. A couple of meetings ago. Okay. And so this just quickly was our excise abatements for 2020 2021 and 2022 for 1114 through 1130 totaling $1,704 and six cents. I just wanted to make sure that you were comfortable with our minutes from our last meeting, which was November 17, and that you didn't have any questions or comments that you wanted to add to that. No, also, thanks. Okay, wonderful. All right, so I'm going to actually stop sharing my screen and I will give you our assessor update before we go into executive session. And before we schedule our next meeting. So basically what's been happening in the office is that we've done a successful test run of our tax bills. So that means that our database that we use every day in the assessor's office matches when we put it into our billing file. So we have a successful run. And so our CPA tax was calculated correctly, and our water and sewer liens that may have been added to any parcels came through and we're done correctly. We are going to do one more test run this week just to make sure just once again that everything works. And we're going to just test out a different way to enter the personal exemptions that might make it easier on our office, whether or not to actually do that implement that this year or we wait till next year will sort of depend on the outcome of this next test round that we're going to do tomorrow or Thursday or both. But success. Your office or the collector's office. The, the new addition would help our office. I'm currently what we do now is, once we get all these exemptions approved. We go on to them and then once the bills are actually in the billing system and ready to be printed, she has to hand enter every single abatement print out the abatement certificate and mail those all out. Doing it this once we test this and see how it works what we can do is, we still have you approve all of these exemptions, and then we put them into munis into like a holding folder. We can immediately send out the notification to the taxpayer saying that they were approved for this exemption. And then what will happen is, when I put the file into the billing system, I can click a button and it will add those exemptions right into the parcels. That's so much much simpler a lot less paperwork a lot less time. So it would help Teresa and you know just move, but again we want to make sure that it's going to be a smooth transition to that instead of just trying to run with it so you know it may or may not happen this year and depending on the outcome of that test run it may or may not happen at all or right away. So we have an excise commitment that is being processed right now so that will be being mailed out in the next couple of weeks so you will see that in our next meeting. And then we're just wrapping up our end of the calendar year things that we need to get finished before the tax bills get mailed out. Basically just getting ready for the printing of the tax bills we do help the collectors with stuffing those envelopes and getting those ready to be mailed. I think the goal is to send them out. Either the the week of Christmas so people get them after Christmas or the week after Christmas I'm not sure that we've totally nailed down a date yet there but but the end of the month. Last final date for them to be mailed before we have to have them all do on May 1 would be December 31 so they have to be postmarked and at the post office by close of post office that day. And so but we're in very good shape to not have to worry about that at all. So, and then the last thing I wanted to mention again was that senior discussion. It's going to be Thursday at the bank center at 11 o'clock in the morning. It will be an in person discussion I don't know if they will be also doing a zoom version so that it can be recorded on the town YouTube or how exactly that's working I haven't spoken to Haley about that but I do know that it is certainly in person, and we'll just be discussing our options for exemptions for seniors blind veteran deferrals hardships basically everything that we have available to our residents. So hopefully there'll be some good discussion on that as well. That's great. I'd be curious on feedback next meeting of how many people participated. I can try to make note. Yeah, and I think you know this is something that you know can potentially be done year after year. What I'd also like to do is try to pull in some of our veterans. So that they're aware. I don't know exactly how many veterans we have here in Amherst but I want to make sure that if they're a veteran and at least 10% disabled due to their service. I want them to know that they're eligible for an exemption. And that's the minimum requirement is to be have a 10% disability that's related to your service. And there's you know it goes farther, and we can get more in depth with that at some point as well but I just want to share that with them and make sure that they're aware that they can receive that if they own property in town, and it and they reside at that property. I will eventually do that as well. Right now we just focused on the seniors. But I do plan to do some more work with the veterans office and make sure that, you know, like I said they, the veterans are aware of the services that we give to them. I'm not able to do a presentation or, you know, something for them as well that whatever Steve thinks is the best option whether it be a zoom thing or whether it be an in person here in Amherst, or if they have an office in North Hampton because I know he also works out of North Hampton. I prefer that it be here because it's for our residents but you know if he has a large space in North Hampton that's that our residents go to. You know I want to make sure that they have that information there as well. And it's the same statewide so it doesn't. It doesn't matter where they live. Right, right, right so they I mean any town would get these same requirements. Again, it's at least 10% disabled and then depending on your disability depends on the amount of money that you would receive. And also if you are a widow of a veteran. If that veteran passed due to their service connected disability, then you would receive a full exemption on your taxes forever as long as you don't remarry. So, it sounds like we do have one person that could potentially qualify for that and Steve was going to look into that and get back to me here in Amherst so. I think at least one day a week. At least one day a week and I think he, he goes over to the bank center so I'm hopeful to get in contact with him and have some sort of meeting with with the veterans. And this is what's the due date for these exemptions. So the personal exemptions are due no later than April 1 of each calendar year and then of course depending on when you get them into us. If you get them in early enough, we can get them applied to both February and May, but if they come in on April 1 then we can get them applied to your may build that year, assuming that you're going to qualify again then you hopefully would get it in earlier next year and we can apply it to both February in May. So that's the same for veterans to. Yes, that's all personal exemptions. Okay. And my understanding is you're saying the town council has done everything they can to increase the limits within the state. Okay, yes. Okay. So next thing on the agenda would be to schedule our next meeting so looking at our calendar. We're looking into January and I think we can go back to Thursdays I think this was just a special occasion meeting so that we could get these exemptions process before the textiles go out. But not opposed to changing the day if if there's a better day that works for everyone. Thursday works better for me I forgot all about it today. I'm sure you're thinking the meeting was at nine right. Okay, so we have the fifth, the 12th, the 19th, and the 26th of January. I propose the 12th. That's good for me. Okay. Lee that works for you as well. That works. Okay. All right, so we have a January 12 and you and we're good with the 930. Yes. Okay. So our next scheduled meeting will be January 12 at 930 am pending everyone is still able to make it. Otherwise we will rearrange that schedule when we get a little closer. So when we go into executive session. I guess before I get there is there anything else that we want to talk about in the public section. When we go into executive session we plan to discuss personal exemptions, and we do not plan to return to the public section. So I just want to reiterate that our next schedule meeting will be January 12 at 930 am, which is a Thursday, and we will continue on with the Thursday schedule so long as that works for everyone. And then, I moved to go, I moved to go into executive session for the sole purpose as you stated to review to review personal exemptions. Second. All those in favor please say aye. Okay, I'm going to go ahead and stop recording and again we do not plan to come out of executive session back into public. It will be meeting will end in executive session.