Springfield tax committee recommends max residential shift and asks mayor for $2M more in relief

The Springfield Tax Committee voted unanimously to recommend that the City Council adopt the maximum allowable residential tax shift and asked the mayor to contribute an additional $2 million toward tax relief, the committee chair said.

Tim Allen, chair of the city finance committee, said the committee—s five voting members—which include a Board of Assessors representative, a citizen voting member, the regional chamber representative and an academic economist—agreed the "max shift" best limits homeowners— immediate tax increases while keeping decisions about mayoral contributions and other offsets open as the council prepares to vote Monday.

The recommendation follows a presentation from Jessica of the Board of Assessors that showed how assessed values and new growth feed into the levy. "If we were to vote on a single tax rate... that rate for residential and commercial…