[SPEAKER_02]: So the meeting will be called to order at 4.04 PM. I'll be taking minutes. But before we do that, just wanted to review the minutes from previous meetings. I'm actually gonna move the table, the October, November, December, and January minutes, as I'm still waiting you know, for the previous assessor just providing those, but we can review the February, March minutes. So without objection, I'll move to approve the minutes from those last two meetings.
[Steven Pompeo]: So yeah, the ones I've reviewed were March 29th and February 15th.
[SPEAKER_02]: Correct.
[Steven Pompeo]: Okay. Yeah, I'll second that.
[Unidentified]: Okay.
[SPEAKER_02]: And anyone opposed? Seeing none. Those are approved. Uh, the second part is the introduction of the new chief assessor. That's me, uh, Ted Costigan. Uh, we do need to elect the chair now. Um, so, uh, Steven, I don't know if you mind, uh, moving to, uh, nominate a chair.
[Steven Pompeo]: Yeah, I still haven't heard from John. So rather than waiting, I'll make a motion to, um, nominate Ted Costigan as chair.
[SPEAKER_02]: I'll second it. All in favor, say aye. Aye. And all opposed. So that is done. Next, we're moving to applications for motor vehicles and excise tax evasions. Just give me a second to get all these together. So there was one that I'm hoping you're sent, Steven. Yeah. over-evaluation of a motor vehicle, year 2023, that's in the amount of $6,224.69.
[Steven Pompeo]: Yeah, that's one of the ones I had a question on, yeah. Yeah, go ahead. What happened there?
[SPEAKER_02]: At times, as I understand it, the state does not use the correct MSRP, so that resulted in a significant overstatement of the value of the car. So they were originally in 2023. I'm struggling with the value. Yeah, go on. Unfortunately, hey, how's it going? How you doing? We're, ah, just on video here. Congratulations. Thank you. We just, uh, nominated and, uh, we did the chairmanship. Okay, perfect. All right. Basically, it was a clerical error at the state. They had a valuation of 300,000 instead of like 30,000. So that's pretty significant. It was from the 300,000 and it should have been that amount there.
[Unidentified]: 90% of the MSRP. So that's the reason for that.
[SPEAKER_02]: Any objection? We'll just approve by signature if that's okay with you, Senator.
[Steven Pompeo]: Yeah, I wouldn't make a motion to approve it, but just with one question for my own edification.
[SPEAKER_02]: Yep.
[Steven Pompeo]: So is that an error that would have gone on every one of those vehicles through the state, or somehow was it just an error that just came through to Medford?
[SPEAKER_02]: The file that the state provides would have that valuation. I can confirm that. with Rita, that's how I understand it, that every Kia that's 2023 year, we have that issue, that specific make.
[Steven Pompeo]: Yeah, I'm just curious how they make that mistake.
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, every year they have a few, like I remember a few years ago, it was like a Subaru, there was an issue with that, so. Do we check the database to see if there are any more of them? Just for our own? Yeah, usually the state will. I'll tell you, they'll let you know if there's an issue, because it pops up. All right, so it's gonna be something like that. We're just gonna sign by approval on these. Additionally, there was a packet with 100 motor vehicle evidence, nine out of 2023, eight out of 2022, and two out of 2021. If there's no objection to those, We'll just approve by signature.
[Steven Pompeo]: Yeah, I just had just a question on the two that were listed as exempt. If I don't recognize the name on it or if it doesn't jump out as exempt, I'd just like to confirm that. Yeah. So you agree with that?
[Unidentified]: These are the two from, they're on 2023, right? Yeah, 2023, yeah. Enterprise Charity, FM Trust.
[SPEAKER_02]: Let me, Jeff, you don't mind going out and just asking all the two that were exempt just so we can get it, so we can move along. But just these two right here, the two exempt. right there, Enterprise FM.
[Steven Pompeo]: I'm sure it's fine. Just to confirm with them because I didn't recognize the name.
[SPEAKER_02]: We'll hold off on the signatures on that so we can move along.
[Adam Hurtubise]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_02]: We're moving on to the... Hey, how are you? Hello, Ellen. Right there might be best, because Jared was sitting right there.
[Ellen Brideau]: In the hot seat.
[SPEAKER_02]: We're just checking on two exact vehicles.
[Ellen Brideau]: Okay. There we go. Hey, Steven.
[Steven Pompeo]: Hey, Ellen, how are you? Since we're waiting for that, can I take the opportunity now that Ellen's back to thank Ellen for all her service. We appreciate it. And formally, John and I will welcome Ted as your replacement. Welcome back to Ted. Thank you, Ellen.
[Ellen Brideau]: You're very welcome.
[SPEAKER_02]: You were chair for 45 years, right?
[Ellen Brideau]: Yeah, at this point, which is crazy. It's great. Right, Steven? Yeah, yeah.
[SPEAKER_02]: Just so we can keep moving on and checking on that exempt entity, we had several exemptions certificates come in. Looks like four veteran, four CPA, and then four veteran 241s, 117, and 137. Um, if we want to review these, uh, they have been reviewed by staff and I had to flip them over.
[Steven Pompeo]: Um, yeah, I mean, if we need to, I'd make a motion to accept those just subject to them, double checking on that enterprise.
[SPEAKER_01]: I make a motion to accept that Steve.
[Steven Pompeo]: Yeah. Just subject to the confirmation on the two enterprise exempt.
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah. So moving back to the two motor vehicle exemptions, I think, Jared, a quick update. Yeah, these are the ones you just gave me before. These clouds here, I think they look more like that. Yeah, Jared will come and address for you. So Steve, it does look like they've provided, it's the Riverside Community Care. They have their exemption form from the Department of Revenue.
[Steven Pompeo]: All right, yeah, thanks, I appreciate that.
[SPEAKER_02]: Okay. Yeah, so we're gonna just approve that packet by St. Triffin.
[Unidentified]: Yeah. So moving on, we had three denials that we have to just individually sign.
[SPEAKER_02]: They, upon review, were all low-income senior applications that did not meet the income or asset guidelines. So just individually, I think that's the practice. That works for everyone. There we go.
[Unidentified]: I'll just kind of do it there.
[SPEAKER_02]: Next up, we just have the real property of Athens. I did want to just bring one previous approval. I just think we missed on the signature. So this is for 52 Stanley Ave. I know people do it differently. I would generally have Just the sign here, or do you want to sign here at the practice?
[Ellen Brideau]: Oh, no, we didn't have a, I don't remember why we didn't. I think we did sign them. We might've just missed that. Cause you think we signed the stack, right? And Steven, you would come in and sign, correct? Yeah.
[SPEAKER_02]: I haven't signed anything after the last meeting.
[Steven Pompeo]: I think that because it was approved at that meeting, I'm going to sign it.
[Ellen Brideau]: Yeah, only because we did vote and approve it. They already got their certificate. So I think we just missed some documentation.
[Unidentified]: This was done in April, yeah. Right, April 12th, so. Yeah, we don't want to have commingled. No commingled.
[SPEAKER_02]: Want to make sure we have them. Yeah. just to discuss today. The first is a little bit of a complicated one, but I'm going to try to keep it simple. 6th Gibson Circle, upon review, and Jared did an inspection, the building value looks accurate. It's a significantly larger single family in that Gibson Circle development, which is kind of behind that Sycamore Ave area. And Stephen, I can kind of show you this map, maybe by holding it up. On my review, I did find that the site index for the land was particularly high. It was a 1993 development, which kind of got put in there. I think it was subdivided. It was, you know, 30 years ago, maybe fine for a land value. But given that it abuts really our, I would say, industrial core in the center, it's, you know, in everything around, it's really a five or a six on the land index. My opinion would be that we should to a six. Jared was in agreement in driving the neighborhood that it really was not significantly different than the next street over, which is also a cul-de-sac, which is actually a five, and all the surrounding houses which are at a six. And again, that land site index drives the land value. So that would just lower the land value from $427,000 down to $384,000, which again would be consistent with that area. sort of north of Riverside out in that industrial part of the city. What is the economy? The value? No, so you said you were going to drop it to a six. Correct. What is the economy? Seven. Seven is really usually like Lawrence Estates and kind of Brooks Estates areas. It's really not appropriate for this area to be a seven. I think it would have done again in the 90s due to probably a plan of unit development that was done there. And so we're actually going to do it on all of these houses in that street, but they will get the benefit as they apply in this fiscal year.
[Ellen Brideau]: My only comment would be that when Jaron and I looked at these properties, we knew that there was something not quite right, which is why we had put it to the side to pull comps. And you had the time to do the better due diligence on it. It's making the whole neighborhood fixed.
[SPEAKER_01]: Everything around us. Yeah.
[SPEAKER_02]: No, exactly. It's to get to the other one better right next to it. But you're saying that we were just.
[Ellen Brideau]: No, that's that's that's typically what we like. And even for this one, I probably wouldn't do that. OK. Because you wouldn't normally have this at the board meeting. It was because this was done after. And we missed signing this, because it's granted, and then all the happy stuff goes on it. But that's absolutely where we signed it. We didn't make up new rules for that. OK, I just moved it.
[Steven Pompeo]: I do have a couple of questions on that one. OK.
[SPEAKER_02]: On the one we were just discussing, Yeah, so- Can I hold this map up to the- Oh, if you could do that, that's, yeah.
[Ellen Brideau]: Oh, I wonder why I couldn't see him there. Can you see that good?
[Steven Pompeo]: Yeah, so are there any? Okay, so just, yeah, stay right there. The question then, are there any on Gibson that should be a five? Like the ones, or should they all be sixes?
[Ellen Brideau]: So you mean like the ones that are on Gibson Street up above versus?
[Steven Pompeo]: Oh, wait, which one should we be looking at? I looked at Gibson.
[Ellen Brideau]: What you're seeing right here, and I don't know where my pencil is, this cul-de-sac is sevens.
[Adam Hurtubise]: Yeah.
[Ellen Brideau]: And he wants to bring them to a six.
[Steven Pompeo]: Six, yeah.
[Ellen Brideau]: And then these guys are already all sixes.
[Steven Pompeo]: Okay, okay, okay. Yeah, I didn't know if there was any section of that that was a budding industrial area, whereas other parts were in budding residential. Should they be a five?
[Ellen Brideau]: I don't, that's the only, he's asking, did you hear that? If this, Benjamin Circle here is a five, should these guys be a five, not a six? With this whole neighborhood and everything else around it.
[SPEAKER_02]: This is, yeah, we might look at the Benjamin circle and see if there's a reason as to why it's a five. And then, um, cause it's really the only five in the whole neighborhood. So, um, let me, um, let me review that as well.
[Steven Pompeo]: Well, that'll be fine then. Yeah. If you at least bring the whole, the whole neighborhood up and how does that affect the rest of Gibson now? I mean, there's one, so will this one abatement be approved and The others will change next year.
[SPEAKER_02]: Correct.
[Steven Pompeo]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_02]: That's right. Yep. Or at least I don't know if the size rather than just one. Why would. That's something that's something. So this one was five. Yeah. Because there's more. Yeah. Maybe not. That's right, but it's tough to see from that map.
[Ellen Brideau]: And truly, you've got to be careful not to, like, I think, you don't want to have all, I mean, I almost would make everybody sick, like you said. Benjamin sticks out weird, and so does this one. The fact that they were right next to each other. But if you want to look at the makeup of the houses on Benjamin, they might have put in a modulant over there versus, you know, the neighborhood doesn't have the same appeal as the one on, so that you need to do. Yep.
[SPEAKER_02]: We'll be looking at that. We'll also be looking at the land value. So it could be that our land values are going to go up next year, for instance. So drawing that index down, it might be net-net pretty neutral. So we'll just see how it works out.
[Steven Pompeo]: Does this amount to the amount of relief the taxpayer was
[SPEAKER_02]: Seeking does not, but you know, that's, I felt the building value was very on point with all the other sales I saw. This one was a weird one. Somehow the value are frozen in the system. I think we caught it last two years or maybe. Yeah. So that's why he was.
[Ellen Brideau]: Yeah. So did you hear that Steven? What was that? this property owner, his value, Ted had caught it for fiscal 23 that the dwelling value had been frozen based on something that had occurred. That brings off. So he's the other one because of his large jump, but now bringing him in, it'll appease him for right now anyway, and then get the neighborhood in line.
[Steven Pompeo]: Oh yeah, okay. I think I got contacted by, by this homeowner a while ago, and I readdressed the situation then.
[SPEAKER_02]: The next property was 7 Morgan Ave. Jared and I did a pretty good review. Jared went out and visited it. He felt that the data was correct. I read a comp page, as you can see, felt that the comp sales in calendar year 21 supported the value. One in particular in the same assessing district, one square foot different, sold in November of 21 for the 10,000 more than what this was assessed at. Minimal adjustments to the property and the variable, so I felt like it supported, sales did support this. Senator Morgan, the name was correct. So we're gonna deny that, or I'm going to deny it. Is there any objection?
[SPEAKER_02]: Last property we looked at was 49 Bowdoin Street. There were some slight corrections upon review in the data. However, a review of the property really looked more like a sort of a very good depreciation code. The effective year built was a little too aggressive on this one, particularly Looking at the neighborhood, almost all of the surrounding houses were very similar, and they're in that very good category, not excellent. So what we did was we brought this 49 building down very good, and it did allow for an adjustment of about $100,000 in adjustment down. So about $800,000. So it's gone down to $800,000? down to 842 for fiscal year 23. I'm sorry, that's the billing value. It was an adjustment on the billing value. The total value was down to 1.12 million from 1.23 million. Again, two family in that area, we felt this met the similarities of, you know, a little bit older property and it were a sell, we would expect it to, you know, being the 101 range, not in the 1-2 range. That's what we kind of came up with.
[Adam Hurtubise]: Yeah. I'm looking at it now. Yeah, I agree.
[SPEAKER_02]: They did a good job in researching comms, which I did look at. Next up, we just had a sort of a minor oversight. They were having the end of 2022, which actually probably was in 2023, a commitment that came in for three excise bills. So it's just three excise bills cars basically bought the end of the year. It's our last commitment point point two. And this will just allow a collector to collect $106. So every so often the treasurer does a schedule of uncollectible taxes for personal property without getting into any length. In the column of Massachusetts, there's really no lienability for personal property if it's a business operating in the city. So these honestly are going back like 20 fiscal years and it's accounting housekeeping that it's been a while and there's no ability for us to collect the funds. And so it kind of, this money will come off the overlay, but it kind of allows us to get out of it. Just don't worry about it.
[Ellen Brideau]: Right. I had talked to Judy probably last month and she was working on me. So I'm glad to see they got them done. What happens is if these are left on the books as uncollectibles or at end of the balance sheet, then it impacts when they look at us for bond ratings. It's good housekeeping to get them off the books, and that's what this is doing. The other thing is that, I gotta say, and just so that you guys all know, Judy, unlike other collectors in other communities, does do her due diligence on it. She turns them over to our collection agency. Others just let them sit out there forever. So she does take care of going after them the best that she can.
[Steven Pompeo]: So these have all, these have been deemed uncollectible by a collection agency as well?
[SPEAKER_02]: Yes.
[Steven Pompeo]: And is there a policy by which they maintain a certain, they won't deem collect?
[Ellen Brideau]: There's not a hard, fast, I mean, if you go to the treasure collector's manuals, and into the other, this is the procedure to clear them. They have to have, she's, Judy signs that she's attesting that she's done and exhausted every opportunity to go out. So she's signing under oath that she did that.
[Steven Pompeo]: So for instance, what would be the most recent one? How many years back? How old would it be that is being deemed uncollectible? Do they go back a certain number of years, or they keep a certain number on the books so many years?
[Ellen Brideau]: I think that I know from past experience with her, I think she waits like five years before she does the process. But I'm not 100% on that.
[Steven Pompeo]: And so what's the total on this that will impact the overlay?
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm going to have to add to that. I just added it up quickly. It was kind of a little bit late breaking news, sorry. I didn't try to do that.
[Ellen Brideau]: Was it on the agenda?
[SPEAKER_02]: It was, I put it on the agenda. Yeah, I just did the demo.
[Ellen Brideau]: Oh, okay. Yes, I was just saying you wanted to put it on the agenda, not reasonably in the 48 hours of it.
[Unidentified]: That saved more than the other one. I know, I'm thinking that right there, it'll be really easy to get it.
[Ellen Brideau]: It was a pretty quick one. The one with the Somerville? Yeah. We tried to tax the Somerville record store, but it's really not pretty nice of us to do. Right there, yeah.
[Unidentified]: You wanted to say more, hold on.
[Ellen Brideau]: I don't know where, okay, so yeah. So you wanted to just talk about it quick. Yeah, so personal property abatements that we're just hanging out, we have one from N-Star Gas that we're gonna go ahead and deny because they're on pending appeal. But the other one, the one to grant is Save More Experience. They are in the Whole Foods parking lot.
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, you know the liquor store on the far side of Whole Foods? Kind of on the hillside neighborhood there. So basically it's in Somerville. I looked at the assessor's maps. Mine is right on the side of the whole booth. So that liquor store, you know it's in the same parking lot, is in Somerville. And our vendor picked it up accidentally. Yeah, yeah.
[Steven Pompeo]: So just for one fiscal year this one. Yeah.
[Ellen Brideau]: Now some of them will get that.
[Unidentified]: Yep.
[Ellen Brideau]: But he was playing the game until he got caught. Well, we can't, we can't.
[SPEAKER_02]: The only other last thing from the last meeting, I just wanted to get a second signature on you guys. It's a pro forma bill we're sending just for the across the street property that flipped from exempt to taxable. And so it's just the pieces from the date of sale, the amount, which is the sale price multiplied by the tax rate. Yeah, so because it's sold June 1st of 2022, we'll get one month of taxes in 2022. before you're in front of my room.
[Unidentified]: Let me make sure I'm on the wall. Right, I'm sideways. I'm not going to be happy with that tax bill.
[SPEAKER_02]: Infection of the property, yesterday it was. Because going into fiscal year 24, it's not just at the sales prices. We put it on our canvas system and value it equitably with all the other medical office in the city. So we're doing that and we'll have a value for 24, which will be that new growth. Great. I think that is all for today. I'm just making sure we don't miss anything. Actually, before we leave, just let Jared give us a figure on the total uncollectible.
[Unidentified]: You start here, right? Yeah.
[Ellen Brideau]: Are you in Medford, Stephen, or are you at the beach, or are you down in Florida?
[Steven Pompeo]: I'm in Florida now, actually. We have to do some stuff to settle Kim's mother's estate.
[Ellen Brideau]: Oh, okay.
[Steven Pompeo]: Yeah, she passed away in February, and so we're emptying the house out.
[Ellen Brideau]: This is Kristen's mother too? Yes, it's her. And you know what? I thought it was odd because I was at a baby shower probably at the beginning of the month and Kristen normally would have been there and she wasn't there. And I was too many people so I never got to ask Bonnie. Oh, I'm sorry to hear that.
[Steven Pompeo]: Yeah, thank you. Yeah, we just had the services actually Friday. She passed away in February. So yeah, in fact, is there any of that do I have to sign? Cause I probably won't be back in Medford for a couple of weeks.
[Ellen Brideau]: Yeah, okay, good. Almost there.
[SPEAKER_02]: So at 7,609, I can make sure that's correct, but that's a rounded estimated value. Oh, all right. So there was nothing big in there. No. A lot of them go out of business. And it might even honestly be that they were out of business, because they're not afraid about telling the city when they actually go out of business, because the wind gain is no more. So that's basically it.
[Ellen Brideau]: And another reason why having the 10K under exemption that the city did help, because these little things are just hanging out there forever. She's going to work on a motor vehicle outside next. Just saying, be ready. for the uncollectible and re-applied. That stays out on the books forever as far as the deputy collector, but for her, it's a good thing. We're done.
[SPEAKER_02]: All right. We'll call a motion to adjourn. All in favor, say aye.
[Unidentified]: Aye.
[SPEAKER_02]: Any opposed? Seeing none, adjournment at 4.39 PM. All right.
[Steven Pompeo]: Take care and good luck, Ted, and thanks again, Allen.
[SPEAKER_02]: Really quick, I meant to say this, just the next meeting, is there, is this generally work for everyone Wednesday around four?
[Steven Pompeo]: What date? This time. Yeah, generally Wednesdays at four seem to have worked out well for us.
[SPEAKER_01]: May, we can do May 17th.
[Steven Pompeo]: Oh, good. Okay. Yeah, I can do that. Yeah.
[SPEAKER_01]: That's fine. OK.
[SPEAKER_02]: Thank you, everyone.
[Steven Pompeo]: OK, thanks. Take care.