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Charlemont Board of Assessors approves Chapter 61 applications, grants filing extension and OKs $880 PC purchase
Summary
At its March 10 meeting the Charlemont Board of Assessors approved FY2025 Chapter 61 applications and notices, granted a filing-extension to a taxpayer, approved the Assessor’s annual report and warrant article for a veterans exemption, authorized a roughly $880 workstation purchase for software upgrades, and voted to enter executive session.
CHARLEMONT — The Charlemont Board of Assessors met March 10 and approved a set of routine administrative actions, including Fiscal Year 2025 Chapter 61, 61A and 61B applications and notices of action for classified land tax liens.
Chair Jacqueline Cashin called the meeting to order at 6:34 p.m. The board reviewed and approved Chapter 61 applications and asked Town Clerk Thorne Palmer to notarize five amended Chapter 61 lien documents reflecting ownership or acreage changes for accounts listed by the board.
The board voted unanimously to approve the Feb. 10, 2025 meeting minutes on a motion by Cashin and a second from Anthony Ostroski. The board also approved and signed routine documents: the monthly list of abatements and exemptions for February 2025; an extension request for the State Tax Form 2 (Form of List) filed by Donna Marder; the Assessor’s 2024 Annual Report for transmittal to the Town Administrator; and a warrant-article request for Annual Town Meeting to increase the veterans property-tax exemption under Clause 22I by the CPI determined by the Commissioner of Revenue, if passed, effective FY2026.
The board granted Marder’s request and signed a letter extending her Form of List filing deadline to June 20, 2025, citing health reasons listed in her request.
Staff advised that the office’s current workstation does not meet requirements for an upcoming AP-5 software upgrade and a new version of Microsoft SQL Server. Carlene Hayden presented price options and recommended a workstation; the board voted unanimously, on a motion by Cashin and seconded by Ostroski, to approve purchase of a new office PC at a total cost of $880.00 to meet the upgrade requirements.
A separate item involved a request from Patricia Butterfield, who asked the assessors to provide a letter stating her property was residential and not commercial after National Grid attempted a reclassification. The board reviewed the documentation and determined it must follow the Department of Revenue’s classification (listed as mixed use, code 013) and that changing a property’s official DOR classification is not within the assessors’ purview. The board declined to sign the requested letter; Hayden will notify Butterfield of the decision.
At 7:44 p.m., on a motion by Cashin and seconded by Ostroski, the board voted unanimously to adjourn and enter executive session under G.L. Chapter 59, Section 60 to deliberate on pending abatement and exemption applications and to sign minutes from the prior executive session. Roll-call votes recorded Cashin—Yes, Ostroski—Yes and Rau—Yes. The board did not reconvene in open session. The next meeting is scheduled for April 14, 2025.
Documents reviewed at the meeting — including the agenda, prior minutes, Chapter 61 applications and amended liens, the monthly abatements/exemptions list, Marder’s extension request, the Assessor’s 2024 Annual Report, the Clause 22I warrant-article request, workstation spec sheets, and Butterfield’s email — are stored in the Assessor’s office files.
