2026-10-13 - Select Board

01:10Good evening. I'd like to call this

01:11meeting to order. Welcome to the

01:13Tuesday, October 13th, 2026 meeting of

01:16the select board. I'm Vice Chair Carlos

01:18Garcia and I'll be serving as chair this

01:20evening. Before we continue with the

01:22agenda, I would like to ask my

01:24colleagues and staff to introduce

01:25themselves.

01:26Michelle Common,

01:28>> Greg Richards, Anal Mizakar, town

01:31manager.

01:31>> Keith Baldinger, assistant town manager,

01:33public works.

01:34>> Kim Dehal, assistant to town manager.

01:37>> Thank you everyone. And Kim, welcome to

01:39our meetings. We look forward to working

01:41alongside you. The first item on the

01:44agenda is to approve bills, payrolls,

01:46and warrants.

01:46>> Move approval.

01:47>> Second.

01:49>> All those in favor, please signify by

01:50saying I.

01:51>> I.

01:52>> I.

01:53>> Those opposed.

01:55We are unanimous.

01:57Item number two is to review and act to

01:59approve the minutes of the select board

02:00meeting of September 2020 uh I'm sorry,

02:03September 22nd, 2026, the joint workshop

02:06of September 30th, 2026, the special

02:08meeting at the Spirit of Shbury of

02:10October 3rd, 2026. And the workshop on

02:13October 6th, 2026.

02:16>> So moved.

02:16>> Second.

02:18>> All those in favor, please signify by

02:19saying I.

02:20>> I. Motion passes. Uh item number three

02:24are announcements and reports.

02:26Colleagues, any announcements?

02:29Okay, I do have a few. Um we had a joint

02:33workshop between the school committee

02:34and the select board and gave each other

02:36highle updates and an o it was an

02:38opportunity for our board to formally

02:41meet new superintendent Dr. Tiffany

02:43Ostrander. We plan to meet again in

02:45November to have a preliminary

02:47discussion on the FY28 budget and we

02:49look forward to those conversations.

02:52The Affordable Housing Trust is hosting

02:54a community outreach session to discuss

02:56Shbury's new pilot affordable home

02:59repair program sponsored by Habitat for

03:01Humanity. It will take place at the

03:03Shrewsbury Senior Center on Tuesday,

03:05October 20th from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30

03:08a.m. If you are unable to attend, the

03:10Affordable Housing Trust will work to

03:12share information with the public and

03:14include that on our website and

03:15newsletters. This program will run for a

03:17year and will focus on critical home

03:19repairs for qualifying lowincome

03:21residents.

03:22The Affordable Housing Trust is also

03:24launching its rental assistance program

03:26in partnership with Metro West

03:27Collaborative Development, Inc. This

03:29one-year pilot program seeks to provide

03:31up to $500 per month to up to 25

03:34households. On behalf of the trust, I

03:37would like to again thank Town Meeting

03:38for approving the funding for this

03:40program to support residents in our

03:41community. And I look forward to sharing

03:43with the board uh the successes of that

03:45program as we as we launch it.

03:48[clears throat]

03:48>> One note I forgot about. I just want to

03:51remind the public that we did have

03:52office hours today. Select board does

03:54hold office hours from 5:30 until 6:30

03:58before our first regularly scheduled

04:00meeting of each month. So please,

04:03anybody in the public who wants an

04:04opportunity to talk to the members of

04:06the select board, we welcome you to

04:08attend.

04:09>> Thank you, Mr. Richards.

04:11>> Item number forest, town manager report.

04:13>> Mr. MAR,

04:14>> good evening board members. A couple

04:15updates for you this evening. I'm

04:18pleased to announce that the town has

04:20been awarded awarded a housing works

04:22infrastructure grant uh in the amount of

04:25$3,676,630.

04:29The project um is awarded to the town

04:32based upon our grant application in

04:35concert with Go Venture uh the private

04:37developer who is looking to construct um

04:40a mixeduse development at 526 Hartford

04:44Turnpike. The funds are specifically to

04:47be used for uh signalized intersection

04:50improvements, a traffic light which

04:52would be located basically at that

04:54project and at the interse which is at

04:56the intersection of Route 20 and across

04:58the street is Stony Hill Drive. So um

05:01the grant is contingent upon that uh

05:04mixeduse development moving forward. Um

05:07the the town uses opportunities like

05:10this to be able to um garner grant

05:13awards to make improvements. I know this

05:15is a long-standing concern of the

05:16neighbors uh within the Stony Hill uh

05:20development. Um and if the project gets

05:23approval and moves forward, we'd have

05:25the opportunity to utilize these funds

05:26to signalize that intersection and make

05:28improvements with Mass DOT. I just want

05:32to take the opportunity um to recognize

05:35the planning and economic development

05:37staff, Chrisman Goldendrick and Louise

05:39O'Neal along with assistant town manager

05:41Keith Baldinger who worked on the grant

05:43on the town side and uh Go Venture who

05:46did um partner with us in the

05:49development of the grant application. Of

05:50course, the board supported that. So

05:53again, it is contingent upon that

05:54project mixeduse development and that

05:56that is still under permitting review by

05:58the planning board.

06:01Um we have received the certified free

06:03cash um approval from the department of

06:06revenue. Um it came in at 9,575,477

06:12for the general fund. Um, I also do want

06:15to note that um, the solid waste

06:18enterprise fund had a retained earnings

06:20balance, which is its fund balance at

06:22the end of the year of $227,730.

06:26I note this specifically because uh we

06:29made a number of changes starting at the

06:31fall 2025 town meeting and then worked

06:34with the board um throughout the course

06:36of the year and in setting the rates in

06:39this um past spring for fiscal year 27.

06:43Um that $227,000

06:46number really recommend or um brings us

06:50back to a good retained earnings balance

06:53kind of makes the account whole. So the

06:55adjustments that we made last year at

06:57the fall town meeting to reduce overall

06:59expenditures uh was really helpful and

07:01you know we quickly returned to the fund

07:04balance that we're accustomed to seeing

07:06for that account. And then finally I'm

07:09really excited to announce that we've

07:11launched a new wayfinding tool within

07:13the town hall. I was developed by

07:16communications coordinator Tanner

07:17Walling. Um, it's a simple QR code that

07:20allows, um, folks to not have to look at

07:23a map. When the QR code is scanned, um,

07:27visitors are able to type in what

07:29service they're looking for at the town

07:30hall, like getting a dog license or

07:32paying a tax bill, and it will provide

07:34them with step-by-step directions of to

07:37go to that uh, office location.

07:41And, um, it is available in six

07:44different languages. So, um, thankful

07:46for Tanner, uh, developing that and, uh,

07:50hopefully it's useful for residents.

07:53>> That's it.

07:54>> Thank you.

07:55>> Thank you, Mr. M.

07:56>> Can I ask a question just

07:58[clears throat] on the timing of the

08:00grant? Um, so does

08:04I'm assuming

08:06if the if the project's permitted

08:09>> Mhm. Then you still have to go through

08:10the procurement process on the grant

08:12funds. And then is there insurance that

08:17or say assurance that that intersection

08:20would be finished at the time occupancy

08:23of any development is there or how does

08:26that kind of work to ensure that the

08:28intersection is there to mitigate the

08:31reason it was there for traffic concerns

08:32about the new apartment?

08:34>> The specific grant timeline is is really

08:37aggressive. um a technical mass works or

08:40community onetop award has a project

08:43completion date by the following June

08:4530th. So it actually have to be

08:47completed by June 30th of 2027, but

08:50we'll be working with the state

08:52depending on the timing of the start of

08:54construction if it's permitted. They

08:56would allow for up to one year uh

08:59extension on that. So I um would be very

09:03confident that the uh signal would be in

09:06during the middle of the construction of

09:08the actual uh project itself.

09:10>> Okay. Thank you.

09:16>> Moving on to item number five, public

09:19comment pursuant to select policy 31 to

09:21offer citizens the opportunity to

09:23provide public comments during select

09:24meetings on matters within the board's

09:27authority. We did not receive any

09:29requests to speak before this board, but

09:31if a community member is interested in

09:33doing so, please you they may submit uh

09:36your request through the select board

09:37town manager's office the Monday before

09:39our meeting to ensure we include you

09:41onto the agenda.

09:44Moving on to meetings and hearings, we

09:46do have a 700 p.m. public hearing with

09:48Chase Lou on behalf of BBQ Land Inc. DBA

09:52BBQ Land 31 Boston Turnpike for a

09:54section 12 all alcohol pouring license.

09:57Hours of operation Sunday through

09:59Saturday 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.

10:03>> Attorney Lou, is that

10:05>> Good evening, board members. Um, thank

10:08you for the opportunity to call in. I

10:10regret not being able to attend uh in

10:12person. I appreciate the accommodation

10:14very much. So, I represent the applicant

10:17BBQ Land Inc. doing business as BBQ

10:19Land. Uh I'm also well uh the manager of

10:23the restaurant and also the manager for

10:25purposes of the section 12 liquor

10:27license. His name is Mr. Theodore Lie.

10:30He is um in person uh attending tonight.

10:33And Mr. Lie is available to answer

10:35questions uh about uh himself and as

10:38well as the business. And I'm here to

10:40answer any uh legal regulatory questions

10:43regarding the entity itself um and the

10:46business. So, uh,

10:49it's a pleasure to meet, uh, you members

10:51of the board.

10:53>> Uh, thank you, Attorney Lou, and and,

10:54uh, representatives from BBQ Land are

10:56here. So, appreciate you all being here.

10:58Um, I know that this board granted a

11:00common victular license was maybe that

11:02was last month or two two ago. So, um,

11:05you know, we we welcome you to our

11:07community. I I don't have any questions,

11:08colleagues. Are there any questions from

11:10the board?

11:12>> Would you would you like to come up to

11:14the table? [laughter]

11:18Thank you.

11:22>> Um, so maybe you can provide some

11:24background on what you're seeking to do

11:26here. I know you're looking for a

11:28license, alcohol license.

11:30>> Yes. So, we're just looking for an uh

11:32alcohol license at 31 Boston Turnpike in

11:36uh Shrewsbury. Um, we're a full-ervice

11:38restaurant um looking for both beer,

11:42wine, and spirits.

11:44Thank you.

11:47This is a public hearing. Are there any

11:49members of the public wishing to speak

11:51on this? I see no one. So, um, can I get

11:56a motion to close the public hearing?

11:57>> So, moved.

11:58>> Second.

12:00>> All those in favor, please signify by

12:01saying I.

12:02>> I.

12:03>> I.

12:04All righty. Um, can I get a motion on

12:07this item?

12:09I move to approve the application of an

12:11on premise all alcohol pouring license

12:13for BBQ Land doing business [snorts] as

12:16BBQ Land 31 Boston Turnpike subject to

12:19compliance with all applicable laws,

12:21regulations, and departmental approvals.

12:23>> Second.

12:25>> All those in favor, please signify by

12:26saying I.

12:27>> I.

12:28>> I. We are unanimous. Congratulations and

12:31again, welcome and we wish you continued

12:33success in the town. And

12:36>> thank you.

12:36>> Thank you. Thank you.

12:38>> Very excited to come in and visit your

12:40restaurant.

12:42>> Thank you. Thank you.

12:43>> Thank you.

12:45>> Moving on, we do have a 705

12:49um tax classification public hearing and

12:52joint meeting with the board of

12:53assessors. The select board will review

12:55and act review and take action upon the

12:58conclusion of the public hearing

12:59relative to the adoption of the FY27 tax

13:02rate for all property classifications

13:04within the town of Shbury. Um, Assessor

13:07Ruth Anderson, thank you for being here.

13:09>> Thank you for having me. Like any of us

13:11had a choice. [laughter]

13:14>> It's always nice to have,

13:15>> of course. Yes.

13:17[clears throat]

13:18>> So, uh, good evening. Welcome to the

13:20annual classification hearing. For

13:22anyone who doesn't know, I'm Ruth

13:23Anderson, your principal assessor. I'm

13:25here tonight representing the board of

13:27assessors. Joining me somewhere in the

13:30massive crowd behind me is my assistant

13:32assessor, Tiffany Peters.

13:36Wonderful. So I know you have a

13:38presentation. So

13:38>> I do.

13:47>> This presentation is prepared for the

13:50select board and the town manager

13:51specifically in order to achieve the

13:53votes we need to submit to the

13:54department of revenue for certification

13:56of our tax rate. But it will also be

13:59available on our website within a few

14:00days for residents and taxpayers to

14:02review. Anyone with any questions on the

14:06information presented tonight or the

14:08assessment process in general is

14:11encouraged to call or email the office

14:13or stop by during our regular hours and

14:15we're happy to discuss their value or

14:17answer any other questions.

14:21Tonight, we're going to present

14:22information relating to the entire

14:24assessment process from valuation to tax

14:27levy, as well as updates on the

14:29assessor's office and show you how

14:30Shrewsbury stacks up to neighboring or

14:33similar communities in Massachusetts.

14:35We will be asking the select board to

14:37vote on a residential factor to

14:39determine whether Shrewsbury will

14:41maintain a single tax rate for fiscal 27

14:44as well as whether to accept certain

14:46exemptions available by statute.

14:50This glossery contains several terms

14:52that show up over the course of the

14:53presentation unless someone spends their

14:56days engrossed in municipal finance

14:58because it's so exciting.

15:01These aren't things they talk about

15:02every day. So, I've made it my practice

15:04to provide some basic definitions to

15:06avoid confusion as we move forward.

15:10So, the big question for tonight's

15:11hearing is why are we here? And the

15:13short answer is because we have to be.

15:16Mass General Law Chapter 40 section 56

15:19states that each city or town shall

15:21annually determine the percentages of

15:23the local levy to be borne by each class

15:25of property. This is accomplished by

15:28voting on a residential factor. It

15:30determines the ratio that residential

15:32property will be taxed in comparison to

15:34other classes like commercial,

15:36industrial and personal property and

15:39also by voting on whether to enact

15:41certain exemption provisions

15:44in the law. In addition, chapter 59

15:47section 21C

15:49ties this hear this classification

15:51hearing to proposition two and a half by

15:54allowing policy decisions about how the

15:56levy is distributed to different classes

15:58of property

15:59in order to give this board as much

16:01information as possible. We take this

16:03opportunity to report on valuation

16:05changes that were certified by the

16:07Department of Revenue on September 22nd,

16:09[clears throat]

16:102026,

16:11as well as update you on the work of the

16:13assessor's office in the past year.

16:18As the first part of our department

16:20update, I'd like to let you know who's

16:21doing the work in the assessing

16:22department. Karen Burgerer is our

16:25department assessing, I'm sorry, is our

16:28department administrator. New title,

16:30still not used to it. Who manages the

16:32administrative task of the department.

16:34She has achieved certification as a

16:36certified assessment administrator

16:38through the Massachusetts Association of

16:41Assessing Officers. Has been with the

16:43town for over 13 years. Victor Pelgrino

16:46is our data listister. He list. He is a

16:49Shrewsbury resident. Has been with us

16:51since June of 25. Joining us in

16:54September was Karen Ramen, our assessing

16:56technician, who was quickly learning

16:58about all things assessing. And Tiffany

17:01Peters serves as the assistant assessor,

17:04having been with the town for four

17:05years, less of brief misguided sojourn

17:08to another attorney, another community

17:11last year. Tiffany will soon achieve her

17:14Massachusetts accredited assessor

17:16designation, and I look forward to a

17:18long and successful assessing career for

17:21her. And finally, I am your principal

17:23assessor. I have my MAA designation.

17:26I've been in assessing for over 23

17:27years, serving in four communities. I'm

17:30also a senior instructor with the MAO

17:33and have been their treasurer since

17:342019. I've been coming to work at 100

17:37Maple A for five and a half years.

17:41Our goals for the last couple of years

17:43have focused on outreach to the

17:44community. We have created an assessing

17:47handbook which is available on our page

17:50of the website and details the steps in

17:52the assessing process and includes a

17:54tutorial on how to read a property

17:56record card. This is a living document

17:58that is updated annually with new

18:00information to make the valuation

18:02process as transparent as possible. The

18:05fiscal 27 report will be posted once we

18:07receive certification of our tax rate.

18:10We have partnered with SMC to produce

18:13public service announcements for the

18:14local access station that cover timely

18:17topics such as excise abatements, our

18:20inspection program, and tax relief

18:22programs. We will create more of these

18:24productions this year as well as post

18:26regularly to social media and the

18:28newsletter to keep residents informed.

18:31We will be at the Council on Aging

18:33October on October 30th to participate

18:37in their talk of the town program. So I

18:39encourage anyone with questions to come

18:41and see us there.

18:43We will continue our efforts to develop

18:45an SOP digital manual to safeguard

18:48institutional knowledge and ensure

18:50department resilience during staff

18:52turnover or retirement.

18:54And finally, we will continue our

18:56cyclical reinspection program to

18:58maintain the progress made over the last

19:00several years to inspect all properties

19:02on an eight-year cycle to ensure data

19:05quality across the community.

19:11So by the numbers there are neither

19:13nearly 13,300 parcels in Shrewsbury that

19:16need to be positively identified

19:19including location and ownership and

19:20then classified properly in order to be

19:23ver valued correctly each year. In 2025

19:27there were 844 real estate transfers

19:30that needed to be reviewed and entered.

19:33We performed 1583 property inspections

19:37over the fiscal year. We issued over

19:3940,400 excise tax bills. And this year,

19:43we will assess over 10.5 billion in real

19:47estate and personal property value for

19:49the year.

20:05This is a graphical representation of

20:07our inspection program and the progress

20:09we have made over the last few years.

20:11With staff turnover, we're a bit behind

20:13for this fiscal year, but I'm confident

20:15we'll reach our goal once everyone is

20:17trained and out in the field. Since we

20:19instituted this program, the department

20:22has visited over 8,400 properties in

20:24Shrewsbury to ensure accurate data for

20:27evaluation purposes. All credit goes to

20:30my staff who monitor sales permits, send

20:33postcards, make appointments, and

20:35perform the actual inspections and the

20:37associated data entry.

20:40In [snorts] fiscal 26, we accepted,

20:42reviewed, and processed 262 statutory

20:46exemption applications amounting to over

20:49$3545,500

20:52in credits to qualified residents.

20:55We also administer the standing with

20:57Shrewsbury tax relief fund application

21:00process and the committee reviewed 12

21:03applications and granted abatements of

21:05$12,000.

21:07The exemption program is just getting

21:09underway for fiscal 27 and we are

21:11accepting and reviewing applications.

21:16Every taxpayer has the right to appeal

21:18their assessment each year and last year

21:20we received 77 applications for

21:23abatement. Each was thoroughly reviewed,

21:26including a physical inspection of each

21:28property and careful analysis. And the

21:30board of assessors voted to grant

21:32abatements to 31 taxpayers for a total

21:35of $115,96

21:38in tax returned.

21:41We currently have 21 pending cases at

21:43the appellet tax board, but this number

21:46spans two fiscal years and actually only

21:48represents eight taxpayers as they have

21:51multiple parcels on which they are

21:52contesting their values, hence the

21:54asterisk. The other is on a centrally

21:58valued cellular company. So, we are

22:00listed on those, but those are um

22:04those values are set by the do. So,

22:06we're not actually involved in the

22:08appeal process.

22:11New growth is an important part of the

22:13levy limit each calculation each year

22:16and represents changes to property

22:18values that occurred after the start of

22:20the previous fiscal year. In Shrewsbury,

22:23we have accepted the local option

22:25available under chapter 653 of the acts

22:28of 1989.

22:30While the assessment date for all

22:31property is the January 1st prior to the

22:34start of the fiscal year by law, chapter

22:38653 requires that we assess all property

22:40in Shrewsbury in its current state as of

22:43the June 30th immediately prior to the

22:46July 1st start date of the fiscal year.

22:50Growth is made up of all property newly

22:52taxed since the start of the last fiscal

22:54year, additions, new construction, lot

22:56splits, and they all contribute to our

22:59growth each year, and the total is added

23:01to the annual levy limit. The results of

23:04our personal property audit program is

23:06also considered growth. These charts

23:09show the amount of the amount of

23:10taxbased growth captured over the last

23:13six years both in value and in tax

23:15dollars broken out by residential CIP

23:19and personal property audit amounts.

23:24These charts are another way of looking

23:26at the same data going back from the

23:28current fiscal year to fiscal 22.

23:31Shrewsbury has gained over 823 million

23:34in value and over 10.4 4 million in tax

23:36revenue over the last six years.

23:42The market slowed again during our

23:44analysis year of 2025 and continued the

23:47up and down model after the height seen

23:50seen during the pandemic. Prices

23:52continued to increase year-over-year,

23:54but we saw fewer sales in 2025 and

23:58overall the sale prices didn't increase

24:00at the same pace. By law, our

24:03assessments have to reflect the market

24:05and values for fiscal 27, which started

24:08on July 1st of 2026,

24:10are indicative them of the market in

24:12Shrewsbury during calendar 2025.

24:16After completing an analysis of all our

24:18cost tables and making changes to

24:20reflect the sales that occurred, the do

24:23has reviewed our data and certified that

24:25our process met their requirements to

24:27assess all properties at full and fair

24:29cash value according to Mass General

24:31Law.

24:36This chart shows the sale price as a

24:38percentage of the asking price. And

24:40you'll [clears throat] see that we had

24:41less sales but higher prices than the

24:43prior year. And time on the market has

24:46increased as well. 27 days on the market

24:50on average in 2025 is very close to the

24:53amount of time seen just before the

24:55pandemic. The average sale price is

24:582.53%

25:00higher and sales occurred after about a

25:03week longer on the market.

25:06The average sale price so far in 2026

25:09shows that pricing has dropped a bit,

25:11but things are selling slightly faster

25:14and with more sales over the same time

25:16period last year.

25:20We are often asked what percentage of

25:22market value the assessments are based

25:24on and we reference the law which states

25:27in chapter 59 section 38 that

25:30assessments must be based on fair cash

25:32value which is defined by the market and

25:35the market in Shrewsbury has increased

25:36at an incredible rate. Just in the last

25:395 years sale prices of single family

25:42properties have increased by over 50%.

25:45This chart shows the changes yearbyear.

25:47And anyone who wonders why the valuation

25:50is so high needs to understand that the

25:52law instructs us to assess at 100% fair

25:54market value. And the market has risen

25:57considerably.

26:01I'd like to show you some data that

26:03illustrates just how quickly and how

26:06much the market in Shrebury has changed.

26:09Or a million's not what it used to be.

26:12This chart shows the number of

26:13residential sales that sold for over a

26:15million dollars each year since 2021.

26:18You see that the number of sales in that

26:20price range has increased over four

26:22times and the percent of the total sales

26:25has gone from 3.48% to 23.15%.

26:30This chart makes it abundantly clear the

26:32direction that the market has taken in

26:34this community.

26:36Condominium

26:38sales continued its downward trend in

26:40the number of sales, but pricing re

26:42rebounded a bit in 2025.

26:45I expect a significant jump in the

26:48overall value of the condominium class

26:50for fiscal 28 as the projects at

26:53Greenbryer and Emerald Run progress and

26:55add more condos to the overall count.

27:03values increased

27:05overall this year by over 497 million or

27:094.995%

27:11since last year. These numbers

27:13themselves are difficult to fathom, but

27:15they are even more mind-boggling when we

27:17look back four years to fiscal 23. Since

27:20then, overall values have increased by

27:23nearly 2.7 billion dollars or 34%.

27:28And while I did not add the data in, I

27:31compared Shrewsbury with the state

27:32totals from fiscal 22 to fiscal 26 and

27:36found that total assessments in the

27:37state increased by over 41%.

27:41With Shrewsbury was at 45%. I mentioned

27:44that to make it clear that yes, values

27:46here have gone up significantly in

27:49recent years, but no, we are not the

27:51only ones.

27:54Increases like these in the market must

27:56be reflected in the assessment by law.

27:58The average single family home

28:00assessment has risen by $22,764

28:04since last year or 2.99%.

28:08And $189,668

28:12since fiscal 23 or 31.9%.

28:16Keeping everything in perspective,

28:18however, the average single family tax

28:20bill will increase by $167.71

28:25or 1.92% more than last year. It's gone

28:29up by $1,1241

28:32or 14.4% since 2023.

28:38These graphs show vis visually the

28:40changes in the tax rate and dollar

28:42amount over the last 11 fiscal years.

28:45The spike in fiscal 22 represents the

28:47most recent override.

28:50And similarly, these graphs show the

28:52change in value by percentage and dollar

28:54amount over the same time frame.

28:58[snorts]

28:59I've added this slide to show the

29:01cumulative changes over the last five

29:02years. While it may feel like your taxes

29:05have doubled in the last few years, in

29:08fact, on average, single family values

29:10have increased by nearly 32%.

29:13But the average tax bill has gone up by

29:1514.3%.

29:17Also, the total taxable value in town

29:20has gone up by 34%, but the total levy

29:23has increased by 16.15%.

29:29The levy limit determines how much we

29:31are allowed to raise through taxation

29:32under the confines of Proposition 2 and

29:34a half. The starting point is last

29:36year's levy limit to which we add any

29:38amended growth which for us is the

29:40amount from our personal property audit

29:42program. Then we calculate 2 and a half%

29:46of that total. We had the current year's

29:49approved growth along with any override

29:51to reach the new proposed levy limit.

29:54The levy ceiling is equal to 2 and a.5%

29:57of the total taxable value in Shrewsbury

29:59and the levy limit must be less than

30:01that. For fiscal 27, the levy limit is

30:05calculated to be 111,96,723.

30:13The actual levy is the amount we will

30:15raise through taxation of real estate

30:16and personal property. It's calculated

30:19by starting with the total spending

30:20amount approved at town meeting which in

30:23our case is 200,250,434.7.

30:31That number is reduced by state and town

30:33receipts, free cash, and any other

30:35transfers applied to reduce the tax

30:36burden. The balance remaining is the

30:39levy for the fiscal year. This number,

30:42more than anything else, drives the

30:44calculation of each taxpayer's annual

30:46bill. And for fiscal 27, it stands at

30:49$119,940,45859.

30:58For all the visual learners, this graph

31:00shows the breakdown again and highlights

31:01the fact that taxes account for about

31:0459.82%

31:05of the amount needed to meet the

31:07budgetary needs of the town.

31:11To determine any excess levy capacity,

31:13the levy limit is adjusted by adding any

31:15debt or capital exclusions,

31:18stabilization fund overrides, or water

31:20sewer costs. And the total is the

31:22maximum allowable levy for fiscal 27.

31:26This is the amount the town is allowed

31:28to raise before needing an override. The

31:31difference between the maximum allowable

31:33levy and the actual levy is the excess

31:36excess levy capacity which for 20 fiscal

31:4027 is $22,49.

31:45Once the values have been certified and

31:47the levy has been calculated,

31:48determining the tax rate is a simple

31:50mathematical equation in which the levy

31:53is divided by the total taxable value

31:55and multiplied by a,000. Assuming this

31:58board this board votes to maintain a

32:00single tax rate, that rate will likely

32:02be $11.38

32:04per thousand of value. This is a

32:06reduction of 12 cents or 1.04%.

32:11Assessed

32:13values represent each taxpayers's

32:15proportionate share of the levy. Values

32:17are not raised to increase tax revenue,

32:21nor are they voted on by anyone in

32:23Shrewsbury. Values are simply a

32:26representation of what an owner could

32:27have expected to receive if their

32:29property had been placed on the open

32:31market during our analysis year of 2025.

32:35This chart shows how tax bills would

32:37change if values increased or decreased

32:39across the board and illustrates how the

32:41levy is the driving factor in

32:43calculating the tax bill. Whether values

32:46were 20% higher or lower than they are,

32:49the resulting tax bills would be

32:51identical.

32:56As I stated earlier, the earlier the

32:58levy is the main determining factor of

33:00the amount of each individual tax bill.

33:03The assessment calculates each owner's

33:05proportionate share of the levy,

33:07literally their piece of the pie. This

33:10chart illustrates very simplistically

33:13how the levy is divided

33:16between differently between I'm sorry is

33:19divided between differently valued

33:21properties. Each taxpayer pays according

33:24to their assessed value, but the amount

33:25of the levy and the size of the pie

33:27remains the same. If we oversimplify the

33:30example

33:32and imagine there were 10 residents in

33:34town, each price point represents one

33:37property and our levy was $75,700

33:41for the year. Each owner would pay their

33:45proportionate share based on their

33:47assessment. The same holds true for the

33:49more than 13,000 properties in Drewbury,

33:52but they don't fit on a pie chart.

33:56The primary decision before the board

33:58tonight is voting on a residential

34:00factor. This will determine whether

34:02Shrewsbury will maintain a fixed tax

34:04rate where each class of property is

34:06taxed at the same percentage or move to

34:08a split rate which taxes classes

34:10differently. We continue to be a

34:13majority residential community with that

34:16percentage holding steady between 87 and

34:1889% in the last 10 years.

34:22If the board votes to accept a

34:24residential factor of anything other

34:26than one, it will split the tax rate. So

34:29those properties classified as

34:31commercial, industrial, and personal

34:33property or CIP

34:36will pay a larger portion of the levy

34:38through a higher tax rate. This is a

34:40very basic illustration of what that

34:43might look like based on a 10% or a 50%

34:46shift. With our ratio of residential to

34:49CIP properties being approximately 7 to1

34:53for each dollar saved on the residential

34:55side, an additional $7 will be owed by

34:58the CIP taxpayers.

35:00In addition, when utilizing the standard

35:02income approach to valuation on

35:04commercial and industrial property,

35:07higher taxes are calculated as higher

35:09expenses, which will eventually reduce

35:11the value of these properties in

35:13subsequent years.

35:15Communities seeking to encourage

35:16business growth typically choose a

35:18single tax rate to sing signal fairness

35:22and predictability to the business

35:23community.

35:26This list shows the top 15 taxpayers in

35:29Shrewsbury for fiscal 27, their total

35:32assessed value, taxes expected, and

35:34their percentage of the total levy.

35:36Overall, these 15 entities account for

35:39nearly 6.9% of the total levy.

35:45This chart shows the correlation between

35:48tax dollars collected and governmental

35:50cost expended for each class. It's an

35:53important concept when discuss

35:55discussing whether to enact a split tax

35:57rate in Shrewsbury.

35:58Basically, for each tax dollar collected

36:01in tax revenue, the town will spend $153

36:05on residential services and an average

36:08of 62 cents on commercial, industrial,

36:10and personal property services.

36:13Essentially, the non-re residential

36:15properties are subsidizing the

36:17residential class and that ratio would

36:20be even wider with a split rate as shown

36:22on the bottom two rows. [snorts]

36:27One of the two exemption options before

36:29the board tonight is a residential

36:30exemption. This allows the town to

36:33exempt up to 35% of the average assessed

36:36value from residential properties used

36:39as the primary residence of the owner.

36:42If adopted, this exemption splits the

36:44rate in the opposite direction of the

36:46rate shift discussed earlier and

36:48increases the residential tax rate for

36:51everyone, shifting the burden of the

36:53residential portion of the levy onto

36:55higher valued homes.

36:5720 communities in Massachusetts adopted

37:00residential exemption last year. And you

37:02will note from this slide that most of

37:05them are towns with a higher percentage

37:07of seasonal residents or nonowner

37:10occupied properties. And they've chosen

37:13to shift the burden away from their

37:14year-round residents who typically live

37:16in more moderately valued homes.

37:21The sec second exemption before the

37:24board is a small commercial exemption

37:26wherein the town can exempt up to 10% of

37:29the value of class 3 commercial

37:31properties if they are occupied by a

37:34small business with fewer than 10

37:36employees and a property value of less

37:39than a million dollars. Similar to the

37:41residential exe exemption, this would

37:44shift the burden from properties

37:46occupied by small businesses onto larger

37:49entities. In a multi-unit property, all

37:52employers must qualify.

37:56183 commercial properties fall under the

37:58$1 million valuation limit this year.

38:01And it's important to remember that any

38:03tax break goes to the owner of the real

38:05estate and not the small business that

38:08is leasing the space.

38:11Each year I include some community

38:13comparisons showing data from Shrewsbury

38:15and other communities for the previous

38:17year. These are a good vis visualization

38:20that we keep in our office just to

38:23compare how our ourselves to our

38:25neighbors in similar communities.

38:28This slide shows how we are compared to

38:30Grafton. Our average single family tax

38:33value was over $97,000 higher, but the

38:37average single family tax bill was $333

38:41lower.

38:45For two other communities, Hollist and

38:47Northro, our average value is almost

38:50$22,000 higher than Hollist, but our

38:54average tax bill is $2,113

38:57less.

38:58And compared to Northboro, our average

39:00value is $55,000 higher. Our average tax

39:04bill was $1,78 less.

39:08And this is an overall summary showing

39:11where the average single family tax

39:12bills fell on the list of communities

39:14ranked throughout the Commonwealth in

39:16fiscal 26. Like previous years, our

39:19average single family home value ranked

39:21at the top of the list, but our tax rate

39:24and average single family tax bill were

39:26the lowest, as was the average bill as a

39:29percentage of income according to the

39:31do. State averages are on the bottom

39:34row.

39:37My annual public service announcement to

39:39everyone watching or listening,

39:41[clears throat] please check your

39:42property record card to make sure the

39:44data is correct. Record cards are

39:46available through the portal on the

39:48assessor's page of the town website or

39:50by contacting our office. We can print

39:52or email cards to anyone who asks. No

39:55one makes mistakes on purpose, but they

39:57do happen. And when they do, that data

39:59carries forward until it's corrected

40:01through an inspection by one of our

40:02staff. Also, conditions change over

40:06time, and what was considered good in

40:082006 may be average in 2026, and that

40:11affects your assessment.

40:14If the last time we were able to inspect

40:15a property was 2016, the assessment is

40:18based on information that is at least 10

40:20years old. If you find anything that

40:23seems out of place, please call to make

40:25an appointment for one of us to come out

40:26and take a look. We'll walk through the

40:28interior, measure the exterior, and the

40:30whole process takes about 30 minutes.

40:35Okay, [clears throat] the board of

40:37assessors recommends the select board

40:39vote a residential factor of one to

40:42maintain a single tax rate. We also

40:45recommend that the board vote not to

40:47accept a residential exe exemption or a

40:50small commercial exemption.

40:52While it's no longer required to have

40:54the select board sign the LA5 form, we'd

40:57like the board's vote to allow us to

40:59digitally sign the form and gateway and

41:02then the town clerk will certify the

41:04votes taken tonight. We will submit

41:06everything to the do to do as soon as

41:08possible and hope to get a certified tax

41:12rate by October 31st, which is a

41:15personal goal of mine since I got to

41:17Shrewsbury. So that would be great.

41:20Uh, thank you for your time tonight. I

41:22know I threw [clears throat] a ton of

41:24information at you and now I'm happy to

41:26answer any questions.

41:28>> Thank you, Miss Anderson. Um,

41:29colleagues, any questions?

41:32>> So, um, I I noticed like maybe I'm

41:34wrong. There are two typos or something

41:37like if you see the average bill, uh,

41:408,921.06.

41:44on one place on the memo you say like

41:46161 and the other place you said like

41:48167.

41:49>> Yep. So those typos were corrected on

41:52the presentation that was here but not

41:54on the one that you got earlier.

41:56>> Okay.

41:56>> So those were pointed out to me and I

41:58appreciate that. I was able to change

41:59them ahead of time.

42:01>> Okay. And the second one on the slide 20

42:04uh it mentions 7 uh 7 uh 783,295

42:10and uh the slide 29 it mentions 783925.

42:15Is that corrected?

42:16>> Same thing. Yeah. Okay. I apologize for

42:18those errors.

42:20>> And uh the other place also I noticed on

42:23the commercial bill 32 23903.82

42:27date too.

42:28>> Is that the one with a split tax rate?

42:31>> The sample with a split tax rate

42:33>> and the other like use 26 or 903. So,

42:39>> which page was that?

42:41>> Uh, slide 32.

42:47>> Yeah. Yep. So the average uh commercial

42:50the average commercial tax bill should

42:52have been 269382

42:55and I think on the one that you got it

42:57was a different number from

42:58>> Yes, it's 23993

43:00>> 2693

43:01>> the correct data

43:02>> that's the correct one 269382 the one

43:05that's on the screen

43:06>> okay uh so um I have question uh like uh

43:10uh since B change the rate from 11.5 to

43:1411.38

43:15the difference uh can we use as a give

43:19the exemption to the seniors

43:22that amount of difference and we can

43:23keep the same rate like 11.5 possible

43:26like that.

43:28No, it doesn't it doesn't work that way.

43:31The rate is just a calculation based on

43:33the levy. So we we can't take we can't

43:38keep the rate the same as it was last

43:40year. We can't pick the rate because of

43:42something that we want to do. If we want

43:44to add

43:47um exemptions we we have

43:51>> let's see how do I explain it. So

43:54>> because when we are doing the exemption

43:56the amount is reducing and rate we can

43:59keep and we can maintain on that level

44:01that's I'm thinking like that way

44:04>> right we we can't do it that way

44:06>> okay

44:06>> so the the exemption amounts are set by

44:09the state so we give out as much as we

44:11possibly can right now we are trying to

44:14go before the legislature to increase

44:16those uh income and asset limits to try

44:18to get more people to qualify

44:21>> so all of that money that covers the

44:24exemptions is in the overlay account and

44:27that's a line item in the budget. So we

44:30would have that's the only way to do to

44:35increase the overlay would be a line

44:36item in the budget but we can't grant

44:39more exemptions if people don't qualify

44:41for them.

44:42>> Okay. Thank you.

44:43>> Yeah.

44:45>> I have [clears throat] Mr. Richards.

44:47>> Yeah. I have a couple questions. Um just

44:50uh a clarification actually I think it's

44:53on slide 33

44:57where you're showing on the commercial

44:59the top taxpayers and the type.

45:02>> Yes.

45:03>> Is the the the ones that don't show the

45:08personal property. Are we not collecting

45:10personal property? I understand that

45:12certain uses don't do that.

45:14>> Yep. But can you maybe explain a little

45:18bit for example

45:19like White City or Amazon data services

45:24why there wouldn't be personal property

45:25there?

45:26>> So that's because uh White City leases

45:29out every part of their property. So

45:33White City itself the owner of the real

45:36estate does not pay any personal

45:38property. Each of the businesses within

45:40that complex do. So Petco and you know

45:45every

45:47I think there's

45:49>> yeah Panera all of the so each of those

45:51businesses pay the personal property the

45:52ones that have both like Charles River

45:55they own the real estate and the

45:57business

45:58>> so they are taxree

45:59>> so I'm assuming that's the same with

46:00Amazon data do they lease that somebody

46:02else's

46:02>> they do that's leased out to state

46:04street bank

46:04>> got it that makes sense thank you for

46:06that um the second question is just

46:10wondering if there is availability of

46:12more data. And you mentioned that over

46:16the 5-year period that the average s

46:18single family tax bill, you know,

46:20increased by 4.42%.

46:22But of course, that's an average.

46:24>> Is there I'm assuming there's more of a

46:27bell curve that says obviously some

46:29people's increased more than average,

46:30maybe some less because I

46:32>> I mean, I've heard it from members of

46:34the community that say, I hear this

46:36number, but it's not true. Here's my

46:38here's my actual bill.

46:39>> Right. So is there maybe more of a a

46:42bell curve that's available that says

46:44yes there are some properties for

46:47whatever reason you know that would have

46:50seen or or what is that you know maximum

46:52and minimum maybe on that chart.

46:55>> So um

46:58there's no predicting the market and the

47:01market changes every year. So some

47:04years,

47:07I'll just use an example. A few years

47:09ago, everybody was buying a split. I

47:11don't know why everybody was buying a

47:13split, but they were for some I don't

47:16know if that was the new starter home or

47:18what, but the valuation for split level

47:22houses

47:24went bananas. I couldn't explain it. I

47:28couldn't understand it, but for some

47:31reason they were selling really high. So

47:34that segment of the community, their

47:37assessment went up more probably than

47:40the average because for some reason that

47:42particular year, everybody wanted to buy

47:44a split and it was driving the cost up.

47:47So it's the same thing happens with

47:50different styles, different areas of

47:52town. There's no predicting what's going

47:56to be the hot area, the hot style, the

47:59hot

48:01um area of the market. So, when we've

48:05got 9,800

48:07single family homes,

48:09I can get you whatever data you want,

48:13but it's going to be a spreadsheet with

48:1510,000 lines of data on it. If you want

48:17everybody, I can

48:18>> I don't want everybody. I'm just saying,

48:19you know, if you have like a minimum

48:20max.

48:21>> Yeah. only because and like I say I and

48:23I'm I 100% know what you're saying and

48:25it's not in your control right there's

48:27market conditions that are driving all

48:28these calculations but I just think

48:31>> having a little bit I'm not asking for

48:33every single one but I think that if we

48:35just had maybe quartiles or something

48:37like that on those specific things

48:38because we do hear it I'm

48:40[clears throat] just I mean I know

48:41personal people who

48:42>> who do say that and I completely

48:44understand how the calculations are made

48:46which you know we can help us articulate

48:48that based off what you said

48:50>> right I mean average is an average means

48:52there's outlines.

48:53>> So can I ask would the board like me to

48:55give you that information? Like I can

48:58break it out by um style,

49:01>> right? So you can see how colonials

49:04increased and splits and ranches and

49:06that kind of thing. I can break it out

49:09by [snorts] um economic neighborhood. I

49:12can break it out by um size of the

49:15house, age of the house. I can do any or

49:19all of that, but you need to tell me

49:21what you want.

49:21>> Personally, I'm not looking for you to

49:22do a whole bunch of work on this.

49:23>> No, no. I mean,

49:25>> you don't need you don't need to get

49:26super granular. I guess I just my own

49:28personal opinion. If my other board

49:29members want to see more detail, I I I

49:32honestly would just say if there was,

49:34>> you know, for residential

49:36max increase, I already know what the

49:38average is and say maybe like a minimum.

49:40That's it. I mean, that that is as much

49:42granularity as I'm honestly looking for

49:43in this. But somebody else wants to know

49:45if blue houses go up higher than yellow,

49:47then you know, by all means.

49:49>> Color has nothing to do with value,

49:50[laughter] so I can't color report on

49:52that. But I can do, like I said, I can

49:54do capes and ranches and colonials and

49:56waterfront and stuff like that. like and

49:59to anyone listening at home that I can

50:02get you almost any data that you want,

50:05but you have to ask for it and you have

50:07to tell me what you want because I've

50:09got I uh assessing software is

50:13incredibly robust and I would hate to

50:16overdo it, give you more than you need

50:18slash want. So, um any any information

50:22that you need I can get for you.

50:25>> Yeah, I'll come back. You guys go ahead.

50:27Yeah,

50:28>> that's common.

50:28>> I have some questions. Um, first of all,

50:30thank you so much for this. You every

50:32year you do uh a really incredible job

50:35of taking this sort of very complex data

50:38and boiling it down to something that's

50:39very palatable and easy to access for

50:42everybody. Um, and I really appreciate

50:44that. Um, I think my first question, um,

50:50Mr. Richards had kind of touched on the

50:52personal property thing. Um can you just

50:54explain to anybody who might be

50:55listening at home that um about how

50:58personal property is not assessed for

51:00residential

51:03um property owners here. It's it's just

51:05commercial and and how that works,

51:07>> right? So personal property um myself

51:10and my assessing colleagues, it's a

51:12misnomer and it's really it's kind of

51:14annoying because it's personal property

51:16so everyone thinks of themselves

51:17personally but it's business personal

51:19property. So, if you have a strip mall

51:24and you've got a nail salon and a pizza

51:26place and a bank in there,

51:32the real estate is the land and the

51:34building. So, the owner of that property

51:37is going to get a bill for that. The

51:40personal property goes to each one of

51:43those businesses. And the pizza guy,

51:46we're gonna assess them for their pizza

51:48ovens and their dishwashers and their

51:51all that stuff. The nail salon, we're

51:54gonna get them for their chairs and

51:55their all that kind of stuff. Banks was

51:58a bad a bad example because they're

52:01exempt from personal property. Um, but

52:03if if we had, you know, a a retail store

52:06or a pet store or something like that.

52:08>> So, they have to report all of that to

52:10us every single year. we send out a

52:13return and they're supposed to send it

52:15back with everything that they have. So,

52:18think a landscaper, they've got

52:20equipment and lawnmowers and all, you

52:23know, all that kind of stuff. So, they

52:26report it's self-reporting.

52:29We take what they give us, we give it to

52:31our vendor, they enter it into. So, it's

52:34if people could start to think about it

52:35as business personal property and not

52:38personal property, that might help

52:40explain Thank you. And sort of on that

52:43vein, um, when it comes to assessing

52:45people's homes and properties, um, I

52:48think there's a lot of

52:51like sort of fear in that people have

52:54that, you know, you're coming in, you're

52:56going to be looking in their closets

52:57and, you know, judging them on their TVs

53:00and however clean or messy their house

53:02is. And um, and and that you're trying

53:04to

53:06look at their house that you can get

53:08more money out of them so you can raise

53:09their taxes. But it's actually very

53:11different.

53:12>> It is very different. So, um, it is a

53:16misnomer and you know, I've seen the

53:18post things that, oh, the assessors are

53:20out there trying to raise my taxes. The

53:22assessors are out to make sure that

53:24you're assessed for exactly what you

53:26have and not one penny more. And when we

53:30talk to the general public, a common

53:32refrain is, "Hey, I'm willing to pay my

53:35fair share, but nothing more. I get it.

53:39I don't want want to pay more taxes. I

53:41don't want to get assessed for a

53:42swimming pool because I don't have one.

53:44Right? So, when we are going out, we are

53:48trying to make sure that every single

53:51resident is assessed for exactly what

53:54they have and nothing more. So, for

53:57instance, as I said, mistakes get made.

54:00We've had properties where we're

54:02assessing them for a finished basement

54:04because somewhere along the lines

54:06somebody,

54:08I don't know, put a finished basement on

54:10the wrong property and then we go out

54:12and we say you don't have a finished

54:14basement. So, we're going to take that

54:17off of your assessment. So, guess what?

54:19Your value goes down. But now it's

54:20right. The flip side is also true. If

54:23you put in a finished basement without a

54:24permit and we go out for something and

54:26we find the finished basement, we have

54:29to assess you for that because that's

54:30what's fair. Everybody should be

54:33assessed for exactly what they have. So,

54:36we're not looking at clutter. We're not

54:39looking at paint colors. We're not

54:41saying, "Gee, those countertops are

54:43ugly." We don't care. We're blind to all

54:45of that. We've been doing it a long

54:48time. were out looking at bedroom

54:50counts, bathroom counts. When were when

54:53were the kitchens and the baths updated?

54:56Was it 30 years ago? That affects your

54:58assessment. If you have a 30-year-old

55:01kitchen and we grading it as a modern

55:04kitchen, I'm sorry, it might be really

55:06nice, but it's not modern and that

55:09affects your assessment. So, those kinds

55:12of things, we're looking to be as

55:13accurate as humanly possible. And if

55:16your value goes up or down,

55:20I don't mean we don't really care,

55:22[laughter]

55:23you know, because the total value is the

55:24total value and we are charged with

55:26making [clears throat] sure it's right,

55:27not that making sure it's higher.

55:30>> Okay. Um, and then just, uh, when it

55:33comes to assessing people's homes, um,

55:35how do you notify people that you're

55:38coming [snorts] and that you want to

55:39assess their home and and sort of what

55:41the process is and and what are

55:43people's, you know, I know there's, you

55:46know, there are some people that refuse

55:48entry and then and there are

55:50repercussions to that. So, can you just

55:51kind of tell us a little bit about that?

55:53>> So, we never cold call.

55:54>> We never just show up at your door. Um,

55:59one of the things reasons we assess, we

56:01come out and inspect is if there's a

56:02sale. So, you've just bought your home,

56:05we get notice of that. That's one of the

56:06things we're charged with is making sure

56:08that ownership is up to date and

56:09correct. So, we get all of the deeds. We

56:11update our ownership. If you've just

56:13bought your property, you're going to

56:15get a letter from us that says, "You

56:17just bought your property.

56:19Here's why we're sending this letter.

56:21We're trying to make sure our

56:22information is right." And on the back

56:24is a survey. how many bedrooms, how many

56:27bathrooms, do you have a finished

56:28basement? All that kind of stuff. And

56:30then when they send that back, we reach

56:32out and say, "Can we schedule an

56:34inspection?"

56:36If they say no, we say, "Okay, no

56:39worries."

56:40You know, it's it's fine. Nobody ever

56:44has to let us in. There is no legal

56:47requirement that anybody let anyone from

56:49the town onto their property. But we do

56:52ask. You can say no. We're not offended.

56:55But we do ask the other thing we do is

56:58if somebody has pulled a permit to

57:00finish their basement or add a deck or

57:02put in a pool or update their kitchens,

57:05there's a part of that process that they

57:08either agree or not at the beginning of

57:11that process that they're going to allow

57:12us to come out when the work is done.

57:14And if they say no, again, we don't

57:17care. But we're going to look at those

57:20plans and say, "Oh, Mr. Smith finished

57:23his basement and based on these plans,

57:26we're going to add it onto the record

57:27even though we haven't seen it. So, when

57:30we're estimating, there's room for

57:32error, but that's fine. If they don't

57:34want us in, that's okay. So, if neither

57:37of those things happen within the 8-year

57:39time frame, we send out a postcard. Hey,

57:42we're the assessors. We haven't been in

57:43your house in seven or eight years. We'd

57:45like to set an appointment.

57:48We're going to be in your neighborhood.

57:50will be out. If you want to make sure

57:52you're home, please call.

57:54Sometimes people call, sometimes they

57:56don't. If people say they showed up with

58:00no notice, they ignored the letter,

58:04didn't fill out the form with a permit,

58:05or got the postcard and pitched it in

58:08the trash without reading it. So,

58:10[clears throat] there's nothing we can

58:11do about that. We can't send up a flare.

58:15We can't, you know, hire an airplane to

58:18go [clears throat] around say the

58:19assessors are coming. We do the best

58:21that we can to notify people ahead of

58:23time. And again, if you do not want us

58:26on our property, if you just kindly say,

58:29"No, thank you." We'll say, "Okay, no

58:32worries." You know, what we'll often do

58:33is say, "Okay, we get it. You don't want

58:35us in. Do you mind if we measure the

58:36outside while we're here? Mind if we

58:38just take a photo of the front and back?

58:40Do you mind answering some questions at

58:41the door?" We'll try to do that to get

58:44the information, but it's um and I

58:47understand it's weird. I tell my staff

58:49all the time, this is a really weird

58:50thing. You show up at somebody's door

58:52and say, "I'm from the government. I

58:53want to walk through your house."

58:55[laughter] So, I we get it. We really

58:58do. But at the same, you know, if you

58:59don't want us there, just say, "No,

59:01thank you." And and we're all set. But

59:03then we have to estimate. So, you have

59:05to understand that we [clears throat]

59:06have to estimate. And if we estimate

59:08wrong, we're not going to deliberately

59:10go, "Oh, we didn't, you know, Keith

59:12didn't let us in, you know, jack that

59:15value up." That's not how it works. We

59:17take the data that we can. We take

59:18building plans and look at the

59:20neighborhood and and stuff like that.

59:22But you have to understand that we have

59:25to estimate if we don't see it.

59:28>> Question.

59:28>> Just one more.

59:29>> Yeah, just one problem.

59:30>> That's great. [laughter]

59:31>> Um, and thank you for all the info. Um

59:34and just my last um question is can you

59:37tell us a little bit about um abatements

59:40and who qualifies, how they can find out

59:43more information, how they can apply for

59:46abatements,

59:47>> abatements or exemptions?

59:48>> Exemptions. Thank you. Sorry.

59:49>> No, it's common. So an exemption is a

59:54credit on the tax bill based on a

59:58certain qualification that the owner

1:00:00has. We have several. Um, if you are a

1:00:04disabled veteran with a 10% service

1:00:06connected disability, you qualify. If

1:00:09you are legally blind, you qualify. If

1:00:12you are over 65 and you have limited

1:00:14income and assets, you might qualify if

1:00:17you're coming in under those

1:00:19requirements. Um, and if you're a widow

1:00:22or widowerower, same thing. You might

1:00:24qualify. All of the information is on

1:00:26the website. Um the annual income and

1:00:29asset limits are on the website. They're

1:00:32outside of our office, but stop by, call

1:00:35us. Um it's a we have the application

1:00:38forms. We're very helpful. We're pretty

1:00:42nice. We do I mean the caveat there is

1:00:46by law we have to verify the income and

1:00:49assets. So, we do ask for some pretty

1:00:50nosy information, but I stress as hard

1:00:54as I can possibly stress, it is not open

1:00:58for public review. Nobody, none of the

1:01:01people at this table,

1:01:03nobody from the public come in and say,

1:01:06"I want to see this person's exemption

1:01:08application. By law, we cannot show it

1:01:11to them. The only ones that see it are

1:01:13my staff and the board of assessors, and

1:01:16that's it." So, it is kept private. It's

1:01:18not floating around town hall. It's not

1:01:20going to the select board. It's not

1:01:22doing any of that. So, please apply.

1:01:25Please call. You have until April 1st is

1:01:27the deadline. Um, we'd love to get more

1:01:30people in the program.

1:01:32>> Thank you so much.

1:01:32>> Of course.

1:01:33>> Thank you. Um, I have some questions as

1:01:36well. Um, just thank you for uh this

1:01:39presentation and for the work of you and

1:01:40your and your team. Um, very grateful

1:01:43for that. Um,

1:01:46I did have a question on appeals.

1:01:50Are you seeing an uptick in in appeals

1:01:52or is that steady or

1:01:54>> any?

1:01:56>> We did see a bit of an uptick for fiscal

1:01:5826, but it was a reval year.

1:02:01>> Okay.

1:02:02>> So, um, this board will remember was our

1:02:04five-year uh, certification year. So,

1:02:07everything changed. Um, and some of our

1:02:10increases were more or people were

1:02:13paying more attention. I'm not sure, but

1:02:16we're usually averaging around 75.

1:02:20Um, my first year here we had over a

1:02:24hundred.

1:02:26>> I'll be blunt and think that I

1:02:29oftentimes a new assessor goes in and

1:02:31everyone's going to test the waters.

1:02:33>> So, they'll file for abatement just to

1:02:35see kind of thing. So, I'm chalking it

1:02:38up to that.

1:02:40>> Um, but since then, we're averaging

1:02:41around 75. Um, they're not all granted

1:02:45because they're not all warranted. We

1:02:47put them through a very very

1:02:50um indepth vetting analysis and um

1:02:57grant them where they're needed. Uh, but

1:02:59I will say if we're wrong, the abatement

1:03:03process is the way for us to fix it. We

1:03:05don't want to be wrong. Right.

1:03:07>> So, if we've assessed you for a finished

1:03:08basement that you don't have, file for

1:03:10abatement and we can fix that this

1:03:12fiscal year rather than waiting till

1:03:14next.

1:03:15>> Awesome.

1:03:16>> Thank you. Um, and I I think since since

1:03:19you brought it up, perhaps this is a

1:03:21question for Mr. Makar. Um, you know,

1:03:23you mentioned that we maximized our

1:03:25statutory exemptions. Where are there

1:03:27any updates on the home rule petition

1:03:28that we filed? Um there are well the

1:03:33last update that I have is that it was

1:03:36um through committee but had yet to be

1:03:39engrossed in the House or the Senate.

1:03:42It's still working its way through the

1:03:43process and we hope that we could have

1:03:46resolution before the end of the session

1:03:49so it doesn't have to be refiled. Okay.

1:03:52And then I think just my last uh

1:03:54question comment uh appreciate the

1:03:56information that you provide about um

1:03:59the impacts potentially of splitting the

1:04:01tax rate. I guess I was curious on

1:04:05certainly you're recommending that we

1:04:07keep it um a 1.0. was curious on when uh

1:04:12when that recommendation

1:04:15might have us revisit that uh in terms

1:04:18of like the breakdown in residential

1:04:21versus commercial.

1:04:22>> What is what is that percentage that we

1:04:24need to reach in order to revisit that

1:04:27for you to feel comfortable revisiting

1:04:29it?

1:04:30>> All I can tell you is a general rule of

1:04:32thumb. This board can do whatever they

1:04:35want. I mean, it it's your vote for what

1:04:39you feel is in the best interest of this

1:04:40community. A general rule of thumb is

1:04:43when your residential is less than 75%

1:04:46of your total value, that's a time to

1:04:51possibly look at splitting the rate

1:04:53because then the benefits to the

1:04:55residential side are much higher because

1:04:58they're carrying less of the of the

1:05:00total burden. there are communities that

1:05:02split the rate with the same similar pos

1:05:05um split as we have percentage-wise. Um

1:05:08so it's it's hard for me to say, but

1:05:11>> okay,

1:05:11>> that's that's just kind of a general

1:05:13rule of thumb.

1:05:15>> That's helpful. Yeah, because I know I

1:05:16know that this board has consistently

1:05:18stuck with the the 1.0 so that we can

1:05:20>> be as attractive as possible to

1:05:22businesses. We we understand um

1:05:25historically we've understood why why

1:05:27we've stuck with that. So I appreciate

1:05:29that. Yep.

1:05:31Yeah, I a couple couple of more

1:05:33questions. So um the one question like

1:05:35regarding the so how much money we are

1:05:37getting from the PI and UPS right now

1:05:41the tax levy how much left and how much

1:05:43we are receiving at this point. So this

1:05:45budget how much money they contributed

1:05:47in the tax

1:05:50>> you have to give me a minute on that

1:05:52one.

1:05:52>> We could we can certainly follow up if

1:05:54>> can I follow up with that with you Mr.

1:05:57I can certainly get that.

1:05:58>> Other question I have like um

1:06:00>> I'm I'm sorry to interrupt. You said PI

1:06:03and UPS.

1:06:03>> Yeah.

1:06:04>> And the new UPS that's okay.

1:06:12>> Yes sir.

1:06:12>> So other question I have can we explore

1:06:15the uh mean tested uh exemption

1:06:18especially for seniors who are

1:06:20wonderable not able to pay proper tax.

1:06:23So we can have $1,000 or some kind of

1:06:25like uh exemption for them every years.

1:06:29Survy did that in 2012.

1:06:31>> Mhm.

1:06:32>> And this is a good example. We can

1:06:34explore that.

1:06:37>> So we I can certainly um do some

1:06:40research on that on what that would look

1:06:42like in Shrewsbury. Um, I'm not sure.

1:06:48I don't want to speak for my other board

1:06:50members, but I'm not sure you would

1:06:52garner the support of the board of

1:06:53assessors for that because it

1:06:55essentially splits the rate and um on

1:06:59the residential side

1:07:01in order to pay for it. So, the rate

1:07:04gets split in order to pay for those

1:07:07exemptions. and the things that we're

1:07:09doing uh petitioning the legislature as

1:07:12we have would probably get us the same

1:07:16benefit assuming that goes through in

1:07:19Boston. It would get us the same benefit

1:07:21allow us to help more seniors and get

1:07:24them more credits on their um on their

1:07:27tax bill

1:07:27>> especially like they have low income and

1:07:29not able to uh getting the proper like

1:07:32support from the other place. Uh so they

1:07:34can have $1,000, $2,000 depend on their

1:07:38like around some some amount of number

1:07:40we can give that kind of like uh

1:07:44exemption for especially seniors. Yeah,

1:07:46>> our exemption um program right now is is

1:07:49already pretty generous. We've passed as

1:07:51many local options as are available to

1:07:54us so that there are some seniors that

1:07:57do get credits of $2,000 on their taxes

1:07:59if they meet the qualifications.

1:08:02So maybe the range right now not enough

1:08:04but maybe this new home rule coming

1:08:07might can have chance but we have to

1:08:09look at this one also like um the means

1:08:12test and exemp exempts on

1:08:14>> yep

1:08:16and then uh the other question um I have

1:08:20how how are uh we like calculate the

1:08:23service cost ratio remain the one of the

1:08:26slide service cost

1:08:30and tax bill as per the Percentage of

1:08:32income figure calculated.

1:08:34>> I'm sorry, which cost?

1:08:35>> Uh service cost ratio.

1:08:38>> Oh, the cost ratio.

1:08:39>> Yeah.

1:08:40>> Do you know what? Do you remember which?

1:08:42>> Yep. That was on

1:08:46slide 34.

1:08:49So what I um do for that is I get a

1:08:53listing from the manager's office that

1:08:56breaks down the spending for the entire

1:09:00town and what goes to which category. So

1:09:04there are certain categories of spending

1:09:06that don't benefit commercial or

1:09:09industrial or personal property. They

1:09:10only benefit the residential. I can

1:09:13certainly share that

1:09:14>> okay

1:09:14>> with you. Okay.

1:09:15>> Um so that you can see how that

1:09:17breakdown occurs.

1:09:20>> Okay.

1:09:20>> All right.

1:09:21>> Thank you.

1:09:25>> Okay.

1:09:26>> This is a public hearing. Are there any

1:09:30members of the public who would like to

1:09:33speak on this?

1:09:35Seeing none, I will entertain a motion

1:09:37to close the public hearing.

1:09:38>> So moved.

1:09:39>> Second. All those in favor, please

1:09:40signify by saying I.

1:09:42>> I

1:09:42>> I.

1:09:44We are unanimous. Um, okay. What is the

1:09:48pleasure of the board? We do have four

1:09:50uh different mo motions here.

1:09:53>> Um, Mr. Garcia, would I uh make each of

1:09:55these motions individually and vote

1:09:57individually on them

1:09:58>> separately? Okay.

1:10:00>> All right. I move the board to adopt a

1:10:02residential factor of one for the fiscal

1:10:05year 2027 tax rate.

1:10:07>> Second. All those in favor, please

1:10:09signify by saying I.

1:10:11>> I I.

1:10:12>> Any opposed?

1:10:14>> Very unanimous.

1:10:16>> I move the board to not adopt a

1:10:19residential exception for the fiscal

1:10:20year 2027 tax rate.

1:10:22>> Second.

1:10:23>> All those in favor, please signify by

1:10:25saying I.

1:10:26>> I.

1:10:26>> I. Any opposed?

1:10:30>> Approved unanimously. I move the board

1:10:33to not adopt a small commercial

1:10:35exemption for the fiscal year 2027 rate.

1:10:38>> Second.

1:10:39>> All those in favor?

1:10:41>> I.

1:10:42>> Any opposed?

1:10:45>> And uh finally, I move the board to

1:10:47authorize the principal assessor to

1:10:49digitally sign the L5 form on Gateway.

1:10:53>> Second. All those in favor?

1:10:55>> I

1:10:56>> I. Any opposed?

1:10:58Very unanimous. Thank you so much.

1:11:00Excellent. Thank you very much for your

1:11:02time. I will get you all that

1:11:03information by the end of the week if

1:11:05that's appreciated.

1:11:06>> Thank you.

1:11:06>> Thank you so much.

1:11:10>> I am going to take one item out of

1:11:14order. I'm going to we're going to

1:11:17I'm going to take item 14 out of order.

1:11:19Uh because I do know we have a guest

1:11:22here. Um, item 14 is to review and act

1:11:25on the request to close Miriam Avenue on

1:11:28October 19th, 2026 with an alternate

1:11:30date of October 21st, 2026 for sewer

1:11:33sewer service connection work at 4A Miam

1:11:36Avenue. Uh, Mr. Paul Broke, I understand

1:11:39this is uh something you're seeking to

1:11:42do. Maybe you could just bring the board

1:11:44up to speed on what what you're trying

1:11:46to do.

1:11:46>> Sure. Sure. We have a sewer connection

1:11:48to do for a new ADU dwelling and uh the

1:11:51sewer main is probably like twothirds

1:11:54across the road. So we figured it would

1:11:55be uh a lot safer and easier just to

1:11:57close the road for the day to accomplish

1:12:00the work.

1:12:02>> Awesome. Colleagues, any questions?

1:12:06>> Seemed pretty straightforward to me. Uh

1:12:08certainly you'll notify residents nearby

1:12:10and make sure that uh detours are the

1:12:14detour is all set. Yes. Um and staff

1:12:16have no concerns as well.

1:12:17>> Yeah, Mr. Brocks worked with our um town

1:12:20engineer um through the whole process.

1:12:22Um have a good detour plan in place and

1:12:25um we should be all set.

1:12:26>> Great. What is the pleasure of the

1:12:29board?

1:12:31I move the board approve the request to

1:12:33close Mariam Avenue on October 19th to

1:12:35allow Brock Excavating to complete sewer

1:12:37service connection work for 4A Marryiam

1:12:40Avenue subject to the conditions

1:12:42outlined by the engineering division

1:12:44with October 21st, 2026 authorized as an

1:12:47alternate date if weather conditions

1:12:48prevent the work from occurring on

1:12:50October 19th. Um, and Mr. Garcia, do we

1:12:54just um should we

1:12:56uh verbalize the conditions listed

1:13:00or

1:13:00>> I believe you have that memo,

1:13:02>> right?

1:13:02>> Yeah, I don't think

1:13:04>> I don't think it's necessary.

1:13:05>> Okay.

1:13:05>> Yeah. All right.

1:13:05>> But thank you.

1:13:07>> Second.

1:13:08>> All righty. All those in favor, please

1:13:09signify by saying I.

1:13:11>> I.

1:13:11>> I. Any opposed?

1:13:14>> Unanimous. Thank you so much. Appreciate

1:13:16your time.

1:13:16>> Thank you. Thank you for taking it out

1:13:18of order. I appreciate it.

1:13:19>> Of course.

1:13:19>> Thanks, guys. Have a good night.

1:13:21>> Have a good evening. Thank you.

1:13:23All right, moving back. Item number

1:13:26eight is to review and discuss the draft

1:13:28December special town meeting warrant.

1:13:30Mr. Miser,

1:13:34>> board members, we do have um somewhat of

1:13:36an abbreviated fall town meeting warrant

1:13:38for your consideration and we are

1:13:41providing you with um information

1:13:44details related to the zoning bylaws

1:13:47that are being proposed. I'll just

1:13:49quickly run through what we have right

1:13:51now. So, article one, this is all

1:13:55subject to change as we move forward and

1:13:56we'll ask the board to um sign the

1:13:59warrant at your next meeting. Article

1:14:02one is actually special legislation

1:14:05which is the process that we're required

1:14:06to use to remove particular ranks from

1:14:10uh uniform public safety service from

1:14:13civil service. Um we're looking to

1:14:17exempt two ranks within the police

1:14:19department. the rank of deputy chief and

1:14:22the rank of captain. Um town meeting

1:14:26authorized uh funding for captain's

1:14:28positions for fiscal year 27. Uh the

1:14:31deputy um chief position is

1:14:34opportunistic. So we would not have to

1:14:36return uh to town meeting for a separate

1:14:39vote for that. But um given the

1:14:41hierarchy um and captains uh being a

1:14:44lower rank than deputy chief that would

1:14:46mean every rank um from chief through

1:14:49captain would be outside of civil

1:14:51service. Um we have engaged with the

1:14:55superior officers union uh with the

1:14:57police department and they support this

1:14:59request uh for removal from civil

1:15:02service.

1:15:04Article two is um

1:15:09to establish uh or to eliminate a

1:15:13minimum a maximum age restriction for

1:15:15applications for the original

1:15:17appointment of member of the police

1:15:20department or fire department.

1:15:22in 2001 that the town adopted this um

1:15:27local option which said basically that

1:15:30anyone older than the age of 32 cannot

1:15:33be have their original appointment to

1:15:37police or firefighter position. Um we

1:15:40find this to now be a challenge in

1:15:42recruiting

1:15:44um for both police and fire but most

1:15:47specifically uh within the fire

1:15:49department for the new EMS service.

1:15:51Whenever you're trying to recruit uh

1:15:54well tenured members uh some who have

1:15:56never participated in civil service um

1:16:00this is quite a challenge and we want to

1:16:02have a proper tenure and experience on

1:16:05hand for our first day of operations of

1:16:07EMS. So, we're looking to remove this

1:16:09obligation um that establishes the

1:16:13maximum age.

1:16:15Article three is a zoning bylaw

1:16:18adjustment to uh entitled aviation

1:16:21facilities and unmanned aerial systems

1:16:24which seeks to regulate

1:16:27drone uh facilities and their land use

1:16:31the associated land use with them. This

1:16:33um is a land use uh bylaw. doesn't

1:16:36exempt or doesn't attempt to regulate

1:16:40drones while they're in the air, which

1:16:41is exempt under federal law from local

1:16:44control.

1:16:45Article four updates our zoning bylaws

1:16:48associated with um data centers um

1:16:52updating dated terminology

1:16:56um to meet uh what is now a modern data

1:16:59center and make sure that we're um

1:17:02properly regulating and situating any

1:17:05facility proposals within the community.

1:17:09And then the final uh article which is

1:17:12article five is um

1:17:17changing the designation of the use for

1:17:1915 Maple Avenue. The board will recall

1:17:22this is the Empire Dry Cleaner uh

1:17:24building and property. The board will

1:17:27recall this property is taken for tax

1:17:28title purposes and when a property is

1:17:31taken via tax title um it's falls under

1:17:34the care custody and control of the

1:17:36treasurer collector designating it for

1:17:39municipal use um has really general

1:17:42municipal purposes which is our proposal

1:17:44as two main reasons. One provides

1:17:47greater security and limits any adverse

1:17:50possession claims against the property.

1:17:53Uh secondarily, it also removes it from

1:17:56the control of the treasure collector

1:17:58and uh would require us to go back to

1:18:01town meeting in the future if the town

1:18:03were to seek disposition of this

1:18:05property. So it really puts it more

1:18:06squarely in the control of town meeting

1:18:09like all other property um within the

1:18:12with that the town owns within the

1:18:14community. So those are the five uh

1:18:16proposed warrant articles that we have

1:18:18right now. Um there is some subject to

1:18:21change over the next couple weeks. Um

1:18:24the deadline for citizens petitions is

1:18:27next Wednesday if anyone is looking to

1:18:29get on the warrant for that. And we look

1:18:32forward to any feedback that the board

1:18:34may have in your review of the two

1:18:36zoning bylaws or anything else in the

1:18:38war.

1:18:40>> That's it.

1:18:42>> Thank you, Mr. Mizakar. Colleagues, any

1:18:44questions for the manager? So for uh

1:18:47like US joining law I heard like

1:18:52Westboro they are communicating with the

1:18:54attorney general office for making some

1:18:56more changes in the joining. So maybe

1:18:59you can connect with them

1:19:00>> and can get have some more ideas which

1:19:03we are not incorporating our uh US

1:19:06joining law.

1:19:07>> Sure.

1:19:09>> Thank you.

1:19:12>> Awesome. Well, I know that these uh

1:19:15certainly will generate some more

1:19:16discussion and I know that uh there's

1:19:18some hearings

1:19:21planned. So, I'm just going to remind

1:19:22the public of some upcoming dates.

1:19:25Thursday, November 5th is the first

1:19:27planning board public hearing on the

1:19:29zoning warrant articles

1:19:32and the finance committee will have

1:19:34their hearing on November 19th.

1:19:38Am I missing any other dates? No, I

1:19:40think that's Yeah. Yeah. So, just be on

1:19:42the lookout for those dates if you're

1:19:44watching and interested on this and um

1:19:46certainly reach out to us or the

1:19:47planning board or to town meeting

1:19:48members as this uh progresses. So, we

1:19:51look forward to discussing these more.

1:19:54>> Nothing else, right?

1:19:57>> Thank you.

1:19:58>> Item number nine is to review an act to

1:20:01renew the town's participation in the

1:20:03Central Massachusetts Regional Veteran

1:20:05Services District.

1:20:10Mr. Are we

1:20:13you have any information that you can

1:20:14share with us?

1:20:15>> Absolutely. So the um Central Mass

1:20:19Regional Veteran Services District was

1:20:22established in 2012. Um it is

1:20:25established through a provision of

1:20:26chapter 115 of the general laws. There

1:20:29are specific requirements in the general

1:20:31laws of staffing levels that

1:20:33municipalities are required to have um

1:20:35individually in order to provide veteran

1:20:39benefits through uh chapter 115.

1:20:42And um communities also have the

1:20:45opportunity to self-organize and join

1:20:47together and it spreads the cost burden

1:20:52um out over uh every community within a

1:20:55district and provides uh cost savings.

1:20:57It also allows us to attract more higher

1:21:00skilled staff who can better serve as

1:21:02veterans. And this has been a successful

1:21:05initiative, as I said, for about the

1:21:06last um 14 or 15 years. And we do

1:21:09recommend the board vote to continue

1:21:11participation in the Central

1:21:13Massachusetts Regional Veteran Services

1:21:15District.

1:21:18And I I'll just add that it includes

1:21:20Westboro, Northboro, Grafton, and

1:21:23Shrewsbury. Great. Any

1:21:28questions, colleagues?

1:21:32>> I assume that the other um neighboring

1:21:34communities have already voted to

1:21:37continue this.

1:21:38>> Two um two have

1:21:40>> two have.

1:21:41>> Okay. So far,

1:21:42>> great.

1:21:44Well, what is the pleasure of the board?

1:21:47I move the board approve the renewal of

1:21:49the Central Massachusetts Veterans

1:21:50Services District agreement and

1:21:52authorize the chair to sign the renewal

1:21:54application letter to the Executive

1:21:56Office of Veteran Services.

1:21:58>> Second.

1:22:00>> We have a motion and a second. All those

1:22:02in favor, please signify by saying I.

1:22:04>> I.

1:22:05>> I.

1:22:06>> Any opposed?

1:22:08We are unanimous. Thank you.

1:22:13Item items 10 and 11 are for the same

1:22:17event, but we'll we'll vote on them

1:22:18separately. Item 10 is to review and act

1:22:21on the one-day beer and wine license

1:22:23request of the Rotary Club of Shrewsbury

1:22:25for the UID Market located at Five

1:22:27Church Road on Saturday, December 5th,

1:22:292026 from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

1:22:33I move the board to approve one-day wine

1:22:36license request of Donald Harbor Rotary

1:22:39Club of Shrewsbury for the U Tide Market

1:22:41event located at 5 Church Road on

1:22:43December 5th, 2026 from 3 to 7 p.m.

1:22:46>> Second. All those in favor, please

1:22:49signify by saying I.

1:22:50>> I I. Any opposed?

1:22:53That passes unanimously. Item 11 is to

1:22:56review and act on the one-day beer and

1:22:58wine license request of Broken Creek

1:23:00Vineyard for the U Tide Market located

1:23:01at 5 Church Road on Saturday, December

1:23:035th, 2026 from 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

1:23:08Um, I think my only question for this

1:23:10one is just u understanding the reason

1:23:13why there's a difference in the hours.

1:23:16just the the preference of of the the

1:23:18business and their setup and tear down

1:23:20times. Um, that's literally it that both

1:23:24>> both time frames cover the duration of

1:23:26the event appropriately.

1:23:28>> Great.

1:23:30>> Can I get a motion?

1:23:31>> Move approval.

1:23:34>> Can I get a second? [laughter]

1:23:36>> Oh,

1:23:39second.

1:23:39>> Awesome. Uh, all those in favor, please

1:23:41signify by saying I. I.

1:23:44>> Any opposed?

1:23:46passes unanimously.

1:23:49And item 12 is to review and act on the

1:23:511day beer and wine license request of

1:23:53Creedon and Co. Inc. for a private

1:23:56ticketed fundraising event for the

1:23:57Shrewbury Public Library Foundation

1:23:59located at the Shrewbury Public Library,

1:24:01609 Main Street on Friday, October 23rd,

1:24:042026 from 400 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Um, I

1:24:08understand that the library is

1:24:09celebrating 10 years of its expansion.

1:24:13So, um, definitely an exciting event.

1:24:16Um, can I get a motion?

1:24:17>> I move to approve the one-day beer and

1:24:19wine license request of creatin and

1:24:21company catering for the library

1:24:23foundation fundraiser on Friday, October

1:24:2523rd, 2026 from 400 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

1:24:28>> Second.

1:24:30>> All those in favor, please signify by

1:24:31saying I.

1:24:32>> I. I.

1:24:33>> Any opposed?

1:24:36>> Passes unanimously. Item 13 is to review

1:24:38an act to ratify the signature of the

1:24:41chair for the green communities

1:24:42competitive grant application for the

1:24:44fall 2026 grant period. Um Mr. Mikart,

1:24:48do you want to walk us through this one?

1:24:50>> Sure. So um board members, we're

1:24:52bringing this to you uh for your ask to

1:24:56uh with a request to ratify the

1:24:57signature of the chair. The grant

1:24:59application deadline was this past

1:25:01Friday. Um, we asked the chair in

1:25:04consideration of this ratification vote

1:25:05to sign the application. Um, we were not

1:25:10uh prepared at your last meeting in

1:25:12September to be able to provide you with

1:25:15the details associated with this grant

1:25:16application, but we didn't want to miss

1:25:18this opportunity for potentially a

1:25:20couple hundred,000 in a state grant. Um,

1:25:24if the board is not comfortable with the

1:25:26application or has questions, please let

1:25:28us know. Um but if you if you wouldn't

1:25:30ratify the chair's signature, we would

1:25:32be able to pull back the grant

1:25:34application, but um again, we didn't

1:25:36want to miss the opportunity with the

1:25:37deadline on Friday. Thank you for the

1:25:39consideration.

1:25:40>> So what is the purpose of this grant?

1:25:43Where we can use that? What is the

1:25:45purpose of this grant and where we can

1:25:47use that?

1:25:48>> Sure. It's for um building energy uh

1:25:51consumption reduction in in town

1:25:53buildings. So, lighting improvements,

1:25:56um,

1:25:58uh, upgrades to drives and and other

1:26:01things like that.

1:26:02>> Okay. We can apply for every year or say

1:26:04one time.

1:26:06>> So, you are we are eligible to apply

1:26:08every year. Um, our first um, grant was

1:26:12in December of 2018. Um, I think this is

1:26:15our fifth application because we didn't

1:26:18we didn't make every cycle because you

1:26:20have to complete all of the work

1:26:22>> from the one year's grant before you can

1:26:24apply again.

1:26:26>> Okay. Thank you.

1:26:30>> Great.

1:26:32>> Okay. So, what is the pleasure of the

1:26:34board? I move the board authorize the

1:26:37chair to sign the green community's

1:26:38competitive grant application and

1:26:40attachment C certification of

1:26:42application for the fall 2026 grant

1:26:45application round.

1:26:48>> Second.

1:26:50All those in favor please signify by

1:26:51saying I. I. Any opposed?

1:26:55>> Passes unanimously. Thank you.

1:26:58>> Item 15 is to review and act on

1:27:01reappoints to the scholarship committee

1:27:03as follows. Deborah Delado for a

1:27:06one-year term, Lee Diamondopoulos for a

1:27:09three-year term, Carissa Ford for a

1:27:11three-year term, Caitlyn Gentiel for a

1:27:14two-year term, and Robert Holland for a

1:27:16one-year term.

1:27:18Can I get a motion?

1:27:21>> Second.

1:27:22>> All those in favor, please signify by

1:27:24saying I.

1:27:25>> I.

1:27:25>> I. Any opposed? Passes unanimously.

1:27:31Item 16 is to review and act on the

1:27:34reappoint of Jack Peralt to the Westboro

1:27:36Water Treatment Plant Board for a

1:27:37three-year term expiring September 30th,

1:27:392029.

1:27:42>> Some moved.

1:27:43>> Second.

1:27:44>> All those in favor, please signify by

1:27:45saying I.

1:27:46>> I.

1:27:48>> Any opposed? Passes unanimously. And

1:27:52item 17 is to review an act to send a

1:27:54letter to Amazon regarding their Prime

1:27:56Air program. Um, colleagues, I did

1:27:59request that this item be placed on our

1:28:01agenda so that our board can officially

1:28:03submit a letter to Amazon requesting

1:28:05that they pause their project roll out

1:28:06until questions about their program are

1:28:09satisfactorily answered. We've seen a

1:28:12lot of interest on this topic um not

1:28:14just in town but in the in the region um

1:28:17ever since the news broke out of what

1:28:19they are looking to do from their West

1:28:21Bro Amazon facility. And I think it

1:28:24would be uh in the best interest of our

1:28:26community for us to join hands with our

1:28:29colleagues and our neighboring

1:28:30municipalities as well as our state

1:28:32delegation in requesting that Amazon

1:28:34halt their proposal until the concerns

1:28:36of residents throughout the region are

1:28:38addressed.

1:28:39>> Can I can I ask for an amendment to this

1:28:43letter? Only only reason I like the

1:28:45letter. I I support the letter, but the

1:28:48one thing I would like to tighten up a

1:28:50little bit if and I'll and I'll be

1:28:52specific is

1:28:55pausing to me I want to make some

1:28:56specific asks of them that they execute

1:29:00before so we can say here's what I'd

1:29:02like to see them do and what my ask is

1:29:05they got four things. Number one, I

1:29:07actually would like them either to

1:29:10the easiest one would be have a public

1:29:12hearing here in front of the select

1:29:14board at a future meeting where the

1:29:16public is able to participate and ask

1:29:18questions. Number two, publish proposed

1:29:22flight pass operating hours and

1:29:24projected daily flight volume for

1:29:25Shrewsbury. Number three,

1:29:29share more specific noise data for the

1:29:31aircraft to be used. and four, have a

1:29:33local point of contact for resident

1:29:35questions and complaints.

1:29:37I would just ask that we add that to the

1:29:39letter.

1:29:43>> I I think that those would be great

1:29:45additions. Um I will share that uh Mr.

1:29:48Chararma and I attended the Westboro

1:29:50community forum that they held a few

1:29:51weeks ago and that was one of the

1:29:52questions that I did ask is for them to

1:29:55not just come before us but all the

1:29:57other communities that they're going to

1:29:58be doing this program. So I certainly

1:30:00would be in favor of including that.

1:30:04>> Um I have a question regarding this. So

1:30:08I have uh I share a lot of concerns with

1:30:11the community about these services um

1:30:13that Amazon is proposing. Um in addition

1:30:16to privacy and noise and impacts to

1:30:20wildlife, I have I'm deeply concerned

1:30:22about our proximity to UMass, which is

1:30:25the only level one trauma center between

1:30:28Springfield and Boston. and I

1:30:32live under one of the flight paths for u

1:30:35medical flights that are are coming into

1:30:37UMass um on you know multiple

1:30:40helicopters on a daily basis and I have

1:30:43a lot of concerns with this. um has has

1:30:47is

1:30:48the organizations that run the medical

1:30:53um flights to UMass, are they involved

1:30:56in any of these conversations and and

1:30:58are they um you know participating in

1:31:01any of these um conversations like as

1:31:04they're working on permitting with the

1:31:06FAA? Has anybody reached out to them?

1:31:12>> Yeah. So um short answer is yes. Um they

1:31:15are engaged and um there will be

1:31:20restrictions for

1:31:24both the medical facility and the flight

1:31:26paths that those helicopters use that

1:31:29the drones will not be permitted to go

1:31:31within. Um they did show example of that

1:31:34in the the public meetings or the

1:31:36meetings that I participated in on their

1:31:40maps that basically

1:31:42within their computer models, it

1:31:43excludes drones from from those areas.

1:31:48And we know that public safety was the

1:31:51the first discipline within the area

1:31:55that they engaged in um as the start in

1:31:58the start of their process for FAA

1:32:00approval.

1:32:02>> Thank you.

1:32:07>> I agree. Um just back to Mr. Richard's

1:32:09recommendations for additions to this

1:32:11letter. I agree with all of them. So,

1:32:13thank you for that. [laughter]

1:32:16>> I think we can uh I think we can

1:32:17certainly amend it to include those

1:32:19before we send it off. But um and I

1:32:22think just my other comment on this

1:32:24letter. I know we have a draft in front

1:32:26of us. Um I would appreciate

1:32:29if our signatures would be included on

1:32:31it individually. I think uh showing

1:32:34numbers.

1:32:35Um,

1:32:41so I think uh

1:32:44I can certainly entertain a a motion.

1:32:46Um, does the

1:32:49>> letter need to be amended now or can

1:32:50that be done afterwards?

1:32:53>> I will.

1:32:53>> We can do it afterwards for

1:32:54>> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I'm not going to

1:32:56update it now. Just Richard's notes and

1:32:58then we'll update the letter and then

1:33:00we'll ask the board to come in and sign

1:33:01it.

1:33:02>> Okay. Perfect. Great. So, can I get a

1:33:04motion?

1:33:06>> I move the

1:33:09um authorize the board to send a letter

1:33:12to Amazon regarding their Prime Air

1:33:14program um with uh including Mr.

1:33:18Richard's uh recommendations for

1:33:20additions to the letter.

1:33:21>> Second.

1:33:23>> All those in favor, please signify by

1:33:25saying I

1:33:26>> I. Any opposed?

1:33:29We are unanimous. Thank you. And we are

1:33:32now on to correspondence.

1:33:34Item 18 is a letter dated September

1:33:3621st, 2026 from Cedan and Co- Catering,

1:33:3931 Jolma Road, Worcester, Massachusetts,

1:33:42regarding their caterers liquor license

1:33:45notification. So noted

1:33:48number 19 is an email dated September

1:33:5021st, 2026 from Joan Cronin, 160

1:33:53Crescent Street, regarding Jimmy's

1:33:55Tavern closing. So noted. Item 20 is an

1:34:00email dated September 28th, 2026 from

1:34:02Senator Michael Moore and Representative

1:34:03Hannah Kaine regarding legislative

1:34:05delegation letter to Amazon regarding

1:34:07Prime Air. Uh we certainly thank our

1:34:10state delegation for taking that action

1:34:12and uh I'm glad that this board uh chose

1:34:16to join in with them. Item 21 is an

1:34:19email dated September 28th, 2026 from

1:34:22Kathy Fitzgerald, Colonial Drive

1:34:25regarding um stop drone delivery in our

1:34:27community. I think we're in agreement

1:34:29there. Item 22 is an email dated October

1:34:322nd, 2026 from Carrie Sheay, legislative

1:34:35aid to Representative Hannah Kaine,

1:34:36regarding the FY27 community onetop for

1:34:39growth grant award uh that Mr. Mizikard

1:34:42noted at the top of our meeting. And

1:34:44lastly, item 23 is an email dated

1:34:47October 5th, 2026 from Deborah Wagner,

1:34:49director of accounts, Massachusetts

1:34:51Department of Revenue regarding uh

1:34:54notification of free cash approval for

1:34:56Shrewsbury, which Mr. Mard noted at the

1:34:59top.

1:35:01There being nothing else in front of us,

1:35:03I will entertain a motion to adjurnn. So

1:35:05moved.

1:35:06>> Second.

1:35:07>> All those in favor, please signify by

1:35:08saying I.

1:35:09>> I.

1:35:09>> Any opposed? We are adjourned. Thank

1:35:12you. Good evening.