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Finance committee discusses Taylor Road open-space purchase request
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Summary
Committee reviewed a citizen request to reconsider its recommendation on the Taylor Road warrant article, noting the parcel's wetlands and possible differences between assessed value and purchase price; members discussed developability, tax trade-offs and closed-session briefings.
Members discussed a citizen request asking the finance committee to reconsider its prior recommendation on the Taylor Road open-space warrant article and weighed trade-offs between open-space preservation and foregone tax revenue.
The Chair summarized the request, saying the property's assessed value was "a little bit over $400,000" while the purchase price was cited as roughly $1,000,004 in an email asking for reconsideration. He noted the lot is largely wetlands, limiting developability and reducing the expectation of future tax revenue from the parcel.
Committee members said the town must pay amounts above an assessment in certain circumstances and observed that clustering potential and nearby lots could be combined for denser development were the town not to acquire the parcel. One member said the lot is unique because it borders the arboretum and hosts wildlife corridors, making it a strong conservation candidate.
No formal motion to reconsider the recommendation was made at this meeting. Members noted that changing the committee's recommendation after votes are recorded may be possible as a recommendation but would not alter warrant paperwork and that any formal reconsideration would require the original mover and seconder to agree to re-open the vote.
The committee asked for available appraisal and select-board closed-session background and agreed to revisit the item if further information emerges.
