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Templeton advisory committee urges select board to seek higher PILOT rates from state
Summary
The advisory committee approved a draft letter asking the select board to seek an increase in Commonwealth payments in lieu of taxes for large tracts of state land, citing a state audit showing Templeton's payments lag the median.
The Templeton Advisory Committee voted to forward a draft letter to the select board asking it to press the state legislature for higher payments in lieu of taxes (PILOT) for state-owned land in Templeton. Committee members said the town receives about $60 per acre in FY 2024, while a recent state auditor report shows a median payment of about $127 per acre across Massachusetts.
Noel Francis, advisory chair, described meetings with state officials and said the select board should request the legislature consider increasing Templeton's PILOT to at least the statewide median. "If you don't ask, you're not going to get anything," Francis said. The committee discussed an alternative formula in the draft that would reimburse $100,000 per percent of town land held by the state, which Francis estimated would yield roughly $600,000 annually for Templeton (the committee characterized that as an illustrative figure).
Members noted the town has a substantial share of state land, including areas that protect regional resources such as Quabbin Reservoir watershed lands and state parks. The advisory committee approved a motion to send the draft letter and supporting materials to the select board for consideration and possible transmittal to legislative committee chairs and local state representatives.
The committee did not adopt a final statutory request or file legislation itself; it recommended that the select board pursue the matter with state lawmakers.
