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Selectmen decide to maintain single tax rate

(left to right) Selectmen Joe Townshend, Jim Driscoll and Jack Villamaino, new firefighter Bill Houle, Fire Chief Richard J. Brady and Houle's wife, Dina, were all on hand for Houle's swearing in as the newest call firefighter of the ELFD. He brings the roster of the fire department to 30. Reminder Publications photo Courtney Llewellyn
By Courtney Llewellyn

Reminder Assistant Editor



EAST LONGMEADOW The Tax Classification Hearing which took place at the start of the Sept. 23 Board of Selectmen's meeting was a short one. The board decided to continue with the single tax rate within a matter of minutes.

More than 30 members of the East Longmeadow/Longmeadow Chamber of Commerce shared the opinion that they were in favor of keeping the single tax rate through letters presented to the selectmen.

"Businesses and residents benefit from this [maintaining the current single rate]," David Leslie, president of the East Longmeadow/Longmeadow Chamber of Commerce, said.

The tax rate in East Longmeadow is 16.06, which is comparable to other area towns. (Longmeadow has a rate of 16.96, Wilbraham has a rate of 14.90 and Belchertown has a rate of 13.44.)

Board of Selectmen Chair Jim Driscoll said that as long as he's been a selectmen, a single tax rate has been the norm in town.

"The businesses in town are our partners ... and the largest portion of every [tax] dollar spent goes to our schools," Driscoll said. "East Longmeadow is financially stable because of our partnerships with the businesses in town."

If the selectmen had not approved a single tax rate, different rates would have to be established for the differently zoned properties: residential, commercial, industrial, etc.



Around the Town

A variety of other issues were discussed at last Tuesday's meeting. Elizabeth "Lisa" Stevens Fontaine was chosen as the new Council on Aging nurse. She will be filling "the very large nursing shoes" left by Kay Thompson, according to Driscoll. Her duties will include organizing blood pressure clinics and other health screenings, educating visitors to the Senior Center and making occasional home visits.

Fire Chief Richard J. Brady announced there will be a Fire Department open house on Oct. 4 from noon to 3 p.m. He said the event is open to the public in the hopes that it will allow residents to "think about public safety."

Police Chief Doug Mellis told the selectmen about an upcoming Shred Day event, scheduled to take place on Oct. 25 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Senior Center on North Main Street. The event will be open to residents only and participants are asked to bring a non-perishable food donation for the Council on Aging's pantry. A tag sale and flu clinic will also be taking place during the event.