Gardner City Board of Assessors approves Aug. 5 minutes, reports $344,698 in new-growth filings; moves into executive session

The Gardner City Board of Assessors on Sept. 24 approved its meeting minutes from Aug. 5, reported $344,698 in new-growth filings and voted to enter an executive session under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 30A, Section 21(a)(7), with no return to open session announced at adjournment.

The board approved the Aug. 5 minutes after a motion and a second were recorded. Members then reviewed a warrant commitment described as “commitment 5” for motor vehicle excise; one member noted they had not signed the documents. The board did not record a separate roll-call vote on the warrant in the public transcript.

Assessors reported filings on two standard adjustment forms. The transcript records an LA-13 new-growth filing with an amount of $344,698, which the board said exceeded an estimate of $250,000. The record also references an LA-4 filing and approvals, but the transcript contains inconsistent dates for the LA-4 submission and approval; those dates are not specified consistently in the record provided.

A scheduled abatement (TV) hearing set for Sept. 23 was continued and rescheduled for Oct. 21 after a participant said they were not ready. The board did not discuss the merits of the abatement in the public portion of the meeting.

Late in the meeting a member moved, and another seconded, to enter executive session under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 30A, Section 21(a)(7) and not to return to open session on adjournment. The motion was made and seconded and the meeting proceeded into executive session; the public transcript ends as the board took the meeting offline.

The board opened the session at 10 a.m. and moved into executive session shortly thereafter. No additional votes or formal actions were recorded in the public transcript before the executive session began.