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Belmont staff advises warrant article to protect disabled veterans' tax credit
Summary
Town staff presented data showing Belmont's veterans' property-tax credits are near regional averages, and recommended a warrant article to raise the disabled-veteran credit to $1,900 to prevent a $500 reduction for eligible property owners after a state rule change that ends stacking of credits.
Presenter Colleen briefed the Belmont Board of Selectmen on a review of veterans' property-tax credits and recommended placing a warrant article on the ballot to prevent cuts for disabled veterans.
Colleen told the board that Belmont currently offers a $500 standard credit and a $1,400 disabled-veteran credit, and that a recent change in state law now prevents stacking of credits. "If we don't increase the regular disability amount, then we're going to have 42 properties, veterans that are going to lose $500 off of their tax bill," Colleen said.
She said she compared Belmont with towns of similar tax base and with nearby communities and summarized statewide averages: the standard credit average was about $372 with a weighted mean near $474; the statewide mean for disabled-veteran credits was roughly $1,942 (weighted mean $1,894). Colleen recommended considering raising Belmont's disabled credit to $1,900 to align with other communities and avoid year-over-year losses for affected residents.
Board members discussed the scope and timing of any action. Chair (speaker 2) and others noted the town would need to prepare a warrant article and that final data on 2025 and 2026 comparisons would lag by up to two years. Colleen cautioned that some jurisdictions that previously allowed stacking may skew averages, so exact comparisons are imperfect.
Next steps: the board took the presentation for review and did not adopt any change on the spot; Colleen said she would provide additional research if the board requested it and that towns are beginning to craft warrant articles on similar issues elsewhere.
