Senior tax credit program still in the works

Date: 11/7/2011

Nov. 7, 2011

By G. Michael Dobbs

Managing Editor

SPRINGFIELD — Work on a proposed plan that would allow seniors in the city to do volunteer work in exchange for a reduction on their property tax bills was sidelined due to the tornado, but City Assessor Richard Allen believes a draft plan will be ready for approval by early next year.

Allen made the comment to Reminder Publications after several city councilors voiced their concerns over the progress of the program.

At a recent mayoral forum sponsored by Massachusetts Senior Action both City Council President Jose Tosado and Mayor Domenic Sarno voiced their support for the program. Sarno cited “liability concerns” as part of the reason the program is stalled.

Allen explained a working committee with representatives from a number of city departments had met four times prior to the tornado on June 1. The damage and the subsequent on-going efforts to respond to residents’ need took precedent for the city’s resources.

Allen said there are still some unresolved issues, one of which being how do the seniors account for the income they receive in the form of the tax break.

City Councilor Timothy Rooke has appointed Councilors John Lysak and James Ferrera to be co-chairs of the City Council’s effort to complete the program.

Rooke asserted the proposal has been “in the [hands of the] assessor and Law Department for over two years with very little progress.”

Currently there are more than 125 communities in the Commonwealth who have adopted state legislation that allows a limited number of seniors to do work for a municipality and receive a tax credit.

“When we first introduced this plan, it had a credit limit of $500. It then increased to $750. Now we are at $1,000 and we still don’t have the guidelines set up. Our seniors who would like to take advantage of this program are losing out on a valuable benefit and I am troubled by the delay in approving the guidelines, All we have to do is copy another community’s guidelines. The plan works the same in every community,” Rooke said.

Rooke said he has the support of Councilors Clodo Concepcion, Zaida Luna, Thomas Ashe, Kateri Walsh, Melvin Edwards, E. Henry Twiggs, Michael Fenton, Timothy Allen and Amaad Rivera.

Currently, Holyoke, Adams, Amherst, Williamsburg, Great Barrington, and Wilbraham have such a program in Western Massachusetts.

Allen believes the Department of Elder Affairs would be the administrator of the program and they would have to work with payroll and human resource officials to ensure the tax and insurance concerns are properly addressed.