Somerville tax rates to rise

[hikermtnbiker.livejournal.com]

No big surprise here but with pay freezes, furloughs, gas, utilities, insurance, etc. I was probably doing better in real terms 10 years ago. Ultimately everything runs on the back of the little folks.

http://www.boston.com/yourtown/news/somerville/2009/12/somerville_aldermen_ok_propert.html

Comments

[gandalfgreyhame.livejournal.com]

and from the article:

"Aldermen also approved a 30 percent tax exemption for owner-occupied homes. In addition, they passed exemptions for the elderly, disabled veterans, and the blind, ensuring that these parties will see no tax increases in fiscal 2010, which began in July."

[balsamicdragon.livejournal.com]

It also says that the aldermen approved a 30% tax reduction for owner-occupied homes. How much does this differ from what they have now? Do I need to apply for this again?

I got burned when I bought in Somerville not knowing about the exception and ended up paying the higher rate for the first year. I'd rather not get burned again.

[hikermtnbiker.livejournal.com]

You have to apply for the owner occupied exemption every year, as far as I know. I also was burned for several years by not knowing about this.

[smoterh.livejournal.com]

somebody's gotta pay for all that subsidized housing

[hikermtnbiker.livejournal.com]

Info on the exemption and filing is here : http://www.somervillema.gov/CoS_Content/documents/2010ResidentionExemptionInstructions.pdf

Also the 30% figure is not a 30% reduction in the tax bill for owner-occupied homes it is a 30% reduction in the assessed value of these properties, on which the new tax rate will be applied. The good news is that they set it at the maximum 30%. It could have been less. However, even with the exemption, owner occupied homes will see their tax bill go up, assuming that their assessed value did not go down.

[hikermtnbiker.livejournal.com]

Oh, and I also think that there is a dollar value cap on what your exemption amount can be but the document does not state that.

[jovianconsensus.livejournal.com]

Ugh. Any discount for homeowners is just another way of saying there's a higher tax on landlords and thus, their tenants.

But then, renters don't vote all that reliably so the aldermen are just responding to that.

[m-b-w.livejournal.com]

I only filed for the exemption the year I bought the house, about 10 years ago, and get it every year.

[hikermtnbiker.livejournal.com]

Hmm, if you read the document it implies that you have to apply every year. By not having to reapply landlords could move out and still get the exemption. I don't imagine that they cross check voter records and stuff like that.

[balsamicdragon.livejournal.com]

My take is that you have the burden to reapply each year, if you notice that they have changed the status of your home on your tax form. But in fact, they are likely to leave it as owner-occupied unless you sell it.

[somertricky.livejournal.com]

I sense there's plenty of loose change there stuck between the cushion. How many absentee landlords are getting a 30% tax cut because of lax enforcement (or worse, complicity)?

Perhaps the city could put someone on it?

[rmd.livejournal.com]

huh. i thought the owner-occupied exemption was for owner-occupied multifamily homes, to discourage absentee landlords.

[jovianconsensus.livejournal.com]

My landlord lives a few blocks away, so I guess he's an absentee.

[aimeedonofrio.livejournal.com]

Despite the increase in tax rate (11.71 to 12.30) and reduced residential exemption (145,522 to 138,011) my tax bill decreased by ~ 7% from last year. I was initially mystified by all of this until I realized (by emailing the assessing office) that Somerville calculates new property values every year. So for better or worse my property is worth less than last year and hence my reduced outflow.

Also I only ever applied for the residential exemption once and have continued to receive it, but I always check my tax bill to make sure.

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

No, just plain old owners get it too.

[hikermtnbiker.livejournal.com]

Well, maybe for once I'll look forward to seeing my tax bill to see if it went down.

Not true you have to apply every year...

[nvidia99999.livejournal.com]

You apply once. When you get those census mails, instead of trashing them just fill them out and send them back. All you need to do :)

Why don't they start taxing Churches?

[nvidia99999.livejournal.com]

...

[masswich.livejournal.com]

Subsidized housing is NOT paid for out of local revenues. It is funded primarily by federal money, to a lesser extent state money. Those funds are sometimes administered by the city, but do not come from local sources.

And, as an aside, I have never had to reapply for my exemption. And when I moved out of my old house I did tell them I was no longer living there, but I think they might have figured that out fairly quickly since I had moved elsewhere in Somerville.

All in all, taxes are quite low in Somerville compared to nearby cities (except Cambridge, which has so much commercial property that residents get a break.)

Re: Not true you have to apply every year...

[hikermtnbiker.livejournal.com]

How did you know that I trashed them?

How old is old?

[dahdahdahdancer.livejournal.com]

How old do you need to be to be classified as "elderly?"

Re: Not true you have to apply every year...

[nvidia99999.livejournal.com]

Because I'm good at guessing.

[ethanfield.livejournal.com]

I hope folks who are complaining about higher taxes also are mindful of how much they complain about the quality of city services. You can't get something for nothing.

[hikermtnbiker.livejournal.com]

Not complaining about taxes really. I think that we get very good services here and I understand the pressure that the city is under. I was more commenting on how there are steadily increasing pressures on peoples generally stagnant paychecks.