The South Berwick Town Council on Jan. 13 approved three separate property tax abatements following recommendations from the town assessor.

The first abatement concerned Map 13 Lot 9, a 19-acre unimproved parcel owned by Melinda Maine. The assessor told the council the lot lacks a legal right-of-way and had been assigned only a 5% access discount in error. He recommended a 50% home-site discount — a data-correction within the mass-appraisal framework — producing a value abatement of $99,000 and a revised net assessed value reported in the meeting packet. A motion to approve the abatement was moved and seconded; the council voted 4-0 to pass it. The packet shows taxes abated for this parcel as $1,239.48.

The second approved abatement applied to Map 4 Lot 8 (138 Belmarsh Road). Staff reported the parcel has a recorded right-of-way limited to 12 feet and to passenger vehicles only, and shoreland restrictions affect the property. Staff recommended a 50% discount to the land portion of the assessment; the motion to accept the assessor's recommendation carried 4-0. The packet lists the abated value as $60,800 and the tax abated read into the record as $761.22.

The third action was administrative: staff discovered a deed-recording/plotting error that had caused a phantom parcel (Map 3 Lot 32) to be assessed. The assessor recommended removing the duplicate assessed value in full, a $126,200 adjustment; council approved the administrative abatement unanimously, with taxes abated reported as $1,580.02.

All three abatement motions were made, seconded and approved by recorded roll call with four councilors voting in favor and none opposed. The Board of Assessors session concluded and the council resumed its regular agenda.

What happens next: the abatement approvals will be reflected in the town's tax rolls and in the assessing office's reporting as indicated in the packet. No additional conditions were announced at the meeting.