After lengthy debate over probate and property condition, Richmond approves Hillsdale Housing Cooperative tax abatement

The Richmond Town Council approved a tax-abatement request from Hillsdale Housing Cooperative addressing back taxes on a condemned mobile home at 465 Gardner Road, Unit 7, after extensive debate about the property's condition and an open probate estate stretching nearly two decades.

Jeffrey Garabidi, representing Hillsdale, told the council the property had been effectively uninhabitable and that efforts were made to relocate and assist the former occupant. Garabidi said past probate filings were faulty and that there are no known assets in the estate; he described attempts to handle the matter humanely while noting a district-court execution might allow the unit’s removal.

Council members discussed conflicting figures in paperwork (speakers referenced amounts ranging from roughly $35,000 to $39,000) and expressed concern about precedent, the possibility that abating the tax lien would foreclose later town recovery if assets appeared in probate, and the effect of a dilapidated unit on neighboring property values.

Town staff and the probate clerk explained that the prior small-estate petition was improper, the estate remains open, and an administrative or full-administration probate could be filed to determine value; that process would allow creditor notice and could take several months. Councilors weighed the harms to the park and neighbors against fiscal prudence and ultimately moved to approve the abatement to allow Hillsdale to remedy the site and re-rent the pad.

The council approved the request by voice vote after the extended discussion; councilors asked staff to document the probate status and any evidence of zero value before finalizing related administrative steps.