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Date: 11/18/2022
PALMER – The Palmer Town Council hosted its tax classification hearing on Nov. 14 and opted to maintain its single tax rate for the next fiscal year.
In addition to a single tax rate, councilors had the option of adopting a split tax rate and also discussed whether a residential exemption and/or small commercial redemption would be adopted.
A split tax rate would reduce the taxes for residential properties and increase the taxes for mixed-use, commercial and industrial properties and for taxpayers required to pay a Personal Property Tax. Historically, Palmer has not had a split tax rate.
The Board of Assessors recommended that the Town Council vote to adopt a single tax rate, vote not to adopt the residential exemption and vote not to adopt the small commercial exemption. The council accepted these recommendations and voted in accordance with them.
The Town Council also hosted a public hearing on the rezoning of two parcels on Lawrence Street into a highway business.
Two Lawrence Street residents voiced their concerns over this rezoning.
One resident said that traffic on the street has been getting worse for a few years and that she is worried this would add to the congestion.
“We have enough problems on Lawrence Street … I really feel that it should not be rezoned,” she said.
Another voiced concern over increased traffic and speeding and also her concern over the wetlands. She said that there are two ponds that she is worried would be damaged.
“I’d hate to see another piece of property dug up and damaged,” said the resident.
The council confirmed that any development within 100 feet of a wetland would have to go before the Conservation Commission to make sure the resource was protected. The council will vote on this rezoning at their December meeting.
A second reading and public hearing were also hosted on the revolving fund charge point vehicle charging fees. Palmer received funding to cover all costs of electric vehicle charging stations for five years.
The five years have now passed and on July 1, the town will begin charging for use of these stations. The council requested that Town Manager Ryan McNutt reach out to Representative Todd Smola for more information on a possible gas tax.
The council will be voting on this revolving fund at its December meeting.
The council also approved $5,700 to study how much it will cost to bring Converse Middle School back up to code and safe for public use. During previous meetings, the council discussed using the building to create a community center or school departmental offices.
Another option could be to simply sell the building. No official uses have been voted on yet. This study is not a feasibility study, but will simply get the cost of renovations to meet codes.
The meeting ended with a report from McNutt. He informed the public that there will be a Krampus event on Dec. 5 at Town Hall. Children and adults over the age of 16 are welcome to attend the event, which will show the PG-13 movie “Krampus.”
“We’re going to try to start a new annual event in town every Dec. 5. Our goal is to turn it into what they actually do in Europe, which is a Krampus run where you run through the downtown and there are folks dressed like Krampus,” said McNutt.
The Town Council also hosted a joint meeting with the Planning Board to fill a vacancy on the Planning Board. The two candidates were Tim Cienciwa and Donald Blais, ultimately selecting Cienciwa for the position.