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Committee to study "yard sale" conveyance program, price factor and administrative costs this summer
Summary
Staff plans a summer review of the yard-sale conveyance program using interns; the committee discussed whether to change the base price factor ($2.10 per sq. ft.) or capture more administrative and legal costs in closing fees and asked for data on excess-land valuations.
Town staff said May 18 they will use interns this summer to analyze outstanding yard-sale conveyances and to recommend whether the town should amend the base price factor used for conveyances.
"We're gonna be doing a lot of work on yard sales this summer with my interns," Tracy said, describing a plan to inventory outstanding RFPs, measure staff and legal time on complex files, and present potential reforms to the Select Board. Staff said the current base price factor used in some calculations is $2.10 per square foot; committee members said that factor was last changed in 2021.
Committee members debated two approaches: raise the base land price (the price factor) or continue to capture staff and legal costs through closing charges. Committee member Thomas Bridal cited past cases where the town incurred substantial legal fees: "I was looking at all the dates of the billing, and I was just like, this thing's going on for years... we had one down on Easton Street that it was, like, $53,000 that the town paid in lawyer fees, and we turned around and sold it for, like, 14 or 18,000," he said, arguing the town must better recoup those costs.
Staff acknowledged a backlog of older cases that had been handled differently in prior years; the current practice is for private proponents to order necessary plans and attorneys and for the town to recover costs at closing. The committee requested a data package: Rob will provide Tracy a report on average excess-land valuations and the current excess-land price factor so staff can recommend whether to change the factor or change administrative recovery practices. The committee plans a June meeting dedicated to these issues.
