During the November 24 meeting of the Mattapoisett Board of Selectmen, a brief but important session before closing Town Hall for the Thanksgiving holiday, selectmen approved an appropriation of $24,973 from the Capital Stabilization Fund, the required sum that the town is required to contribute in order to receive $100,000 from the state’s Coast Zone Management agency.
As discussed during the November 17 meeting held with members of the Finance and Capital Planning Committees, the selectmen heard from Highway Surveyor Barry Denham on the critical need to repair a culvert along Mattapoisett Neck Road.
Denham explained that CZM grants are awarded for the purpose of aiding cities and towns with projects that can be directly attributed to climate change impacts such as rising water levels. Denham said that the culvert in question is failing. Without repairs, it would impede residents from freely accessing their homes. He also said that adequate tidal flushing of associated salt marshes in the area would benefit from the repairs.
Despite an agreement on critical need, the selectmen had asked Denham and Town Administrator Mike Lorenco to investigate whether the state agency was willing to give the town an extension to allow the matter to go before Town Meeting in the spring. Lorenco, on November 24, returned with the answer: An extension to a CZM grant would not be forthcoming; furthermore, asking for one might put the grant in jeopardy of being withdrawn by the state agency. Armed with this update, the selectmen voted to approve the matching sum.
The selectmen also met with Kathy Costello, administrator of assessing, and Ray Andrews, chairman of the Board of Assessors, for a tax-classification hearing. Costello reported that property values had jumped a whopping 9.1 percent in 2020 and that the trend doesn’t seem to be slowing down as the calendar year winds down. “Trending forward to 2021, it looks very robust,” she said.
On the matter of a single- versus a split-tax classification, Costello said, given that 94 percent of the town’s revenue came from the residential sector, the small commercial base primarily made up of “moms and pops” would be seriously and negatively affected by a higher tax rate than the residential rate. She further stated that, even if the commercial properties were taxed at a higher rate, homeowners would not receive much of a benefit given their small number. A single tax rate was approved.
Before leaving the meeting, Costello also commented that it was possible the tax rate would go down from $13.49 to $12.96. Lorenco said the rate could not be voted on at this time, pending approval from the Massachusetts Department of Revenue.
Staying on the theme of money, Lorenco said that the installation of LED lights at Town Hall is complete. The overall savings for all municipal buildings was estimated to be as much as $100,000 per year.
Earlier in the proceedings, the selectmen appointed Diane Tsitsos as a Democratic member of the Board of Registrars. Members of this municipal board are responsible for such matters as maintaining accurate lists of registered voters in the town, conducting elections, voter registration, processing absentee voter applications, tallying election results, and conducting election recounts. The state requires that the board fairly reflect the two leading political parties.
The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Board of Selectmen is scheduled for Tuesday, December 8, at 6:30 pm.