Tax season begins with some noise

By Erin O'Connor

Staff Writer

WEST SPRINGFIELD A new year means new taxes and the cause of some concern for citizens of the city who have been calling the assessor's office with questions and have plans of filing abatements this winter.

"The property tax hike has people in an uproar and they want abatements," Irene Schuh, a West Springfield resident, said.

The West Springfield Tax Payer's Association organized an open to the public meeting at City Hall in the Town Council Chambers on Jan. 10 for a tax lawyer to discuss abatements and other tax information.

"This is an unprecedented event," Schuh said.

City Assessor Edward O'Brien said that single family residencies will receive a property tax of 12 percent, condominiums will be 22 percent, and two to three family residencies will be at 20 percent.

"When you do all of the statistics the average assessment bill equates to about $3,000," O'Brien said. "[West Springfield] is in the bottom third rank for taxes, we are 201 out of 251," he said. O'Brien said citizens have a right to file an abatement and that between 200-300 abatement applications are received by the Assesor's Office per year for property taxes.

Of these, "About 25 abatements are granted per year," O'Brien said.

"The best time to talk to an assessor is in the middle of July," O'Brien said. "Once you file an abatement I am an adversary and I must defend the town."

The deadline for abatement applications is 30 days from its issuance, Feb. 1 on average. If an abatement is denied then the tax payer can file with the Massachusetts Appellate Tax Board.

Ninety percent of the petitions filed at the Appellate Tax Board are appeals of local property taxes.

In addressing the City Council for the city budget fiscal year 2007 Mayor Edward Gibson said, "Though we will see an increase in state aid, we should continue to raise sufficient revenues through taxation to balance our budget without the use of one-time revenue sources such as Stabilization Funds and Free Cash to support recurring operating expenditures."

"[Taxes] are going up," O'Brien said. "Towns cost more, there is no free lunch and that is the attitude that has been around, that if we get more state aid we can reduce the taxes. You can't because only 25 percent [of the funding] comes from state aid."