Councilor Zollo starts getting to the real question, Kevin Doyle sorta answers it, Dibaggis chimes in
Time: 6 minutes, 14 seconds
MP3 File
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Thursday, November 29, 2007
Town Council Meeting 11/28/07 Summary
In chronological order of the meeting itself, my live postings with the audio sections and the newspaper coverage that corresponds.
Board of Assessors presentation (audio)
Questions on senior participation in deferments (Pfeffer, McGann) (audio)
Mason's question on single rate rationale (audio)
Doak's initial questions (audio)
McGann's question on split tax rate scenarios (audio)
Zollo gets to the point (audio)
This is a deceptive piece of information (Pfeffer)
This is deceptive (Pfeffer) (audio)
Chairman Feeley has his turn (audio)
Can you recast this spreadsheet? (Whalen)
Nutting's proposal on determining the assessed vs. sale valuations
Can you recast this spreadsheet? (Whalen) (audio)
Councilor Vallee clarifies the potential tax rates (audio)
Councilor Doak clarifies 2007 sales and assessment valuations (audio)
Councilor McGann asks what is the distribution of split vs. single tax rates in MA (audio)
LeBlanc's presentation on the assessed valuations
LeBlanc's handouts (two spreadsheets)
Michael Leblanc's analysis of the assessment issue (audio)
Doak follow up question for LeBlanc (audio)
Zollo statement on assessment problem (audio)
Whalen statement on assessment problem (audio)
Franklin needs to be competitive with India as well as Indiana (M Doherty)
M Doherty comment (audio)
T Fleming comment (audio)
D Collier (?) comment (audio)
caution you to use the information he has provided carefully
K Norman comment (audio)
J Curran comment (audio)
Jeff Nutting reviews the proposal for the Town Council to change the allocation of the Hotel Tax
Jeff Nutting (audio)
Historical Commission representative reads statement (audio)
Whalen, Nutting, Bartlett (audio)
McGann, Nutting, Roche (audio)
Doak, Zollo, Roche (audio)
Pfeffer (audio)
Susan Spears (audio)
Dave Collier (?) (audio)
Michael LeBlanc, Lisa Piana, Carol Harpin (audio)
McGann, Nutting, Roche (audio)
Zollo (audio)
Jane Curran, Eileen Mason, Lynn Narron (audio)
Motion to allocate the Hotel/Motel Tax per Nutting recommendation to next agenda
Doak, Bartlett, Nutting, Feeley, McGann and vote (audio)
Deficit in FY 09 will be far greater than FY 08 per Nutting (audio)
Motion to balance the discovered discrepancy in the School budget for FY 07 with transfer of $590,000 from stabilization
Milford Daily News coverage
Board of Assessors presentation (audio)
Questions on senior participation in deferments (Pfeffer, McGann) (audio)
Mason's question on single rate rationale (audio)
Doak's initial questions (audio)
McGann's question on split tax rate scenarios (audio)
Zollo gets to the point (audio)
This is a deceptive piece of information (Pfeffer)
This is deceptive (Pfeffer) (audio)
Chairman Feeley has his turn (audio)
Can you recast this spreadsheet? (Whalen)
Nutting's proposal on determining the assessed vs. sale valuations
Can you recast this spreadsheet? (Whalen) (audio)
Councilor Vallee clarifies the potential tax rates (audio)
Councilor Doak clarifies 2007 sales and assessment valuations (audio)
Councilor McGann asks what is the distribution of split vs. single tax rates in MA (audio)
LeBlanc's presentation on the assessed valuations
LeBlanc's handouts (two spreadsheets)
Michael Leblanc's analysis of the assessment issue (audio)
Doak follow up question for LeBlanc (audio)
Zollo statement on assessment problem (audio)
Whalen statement on assessment problem (audio)
Franklin needs to be competitive with India as well as Indiana (M Doherty)
M Doherty comment (audio)
T Fleming comment (audio)
D Collier (?) comment (audio)
caution you to use the information he has provided carefully
K Norman comment (audio)
J Curran comment (audio)
Jeff Nutting reviews the proposal for the Town Council to change the allocation of the Hotel Tax
Jeff Nutting (audio)
Historical Commission representative reads statement (audio)
Whalen, Nutting, Bartlett (audio)
McGann, Nutting, Roche (audio)
Doak, Zollo, Roche (audio)
Pfeffer (audio)
Susan Spears (audio)
Dave Collier (?) (audio)
Michael LeBlanc, Lisa Piana, Carol Harpin (audio)
McGann, Nutting, Roche (audio)
Zollo (audio)
Jane Curran, Eileen Mason, Lynn Narron (audio)
Motion to allocate the Hotel/Motel Tax per Nutting recommendation to next agenda
Doak, Bartlett, Nutting, Feeley, McGann and vote (audio)
Deficit in FY 09 will be far greater than FY 08 per Nutting (audio)
Motion to balance the discovered discrepancy in the School budget for FY 07 with transfer of $590,000 from stabilization
Milford Daily News coverage
Tax Hearing Q&A - 2
Councilor Mason's question on the reasoning for the single tax rate and not the split tax rate. DiBaggis and Norman reply.
Time: 4 minutes, 6 seconds
MP3 File
Time: 4 minutes, 6 seconds
MP3 File
credibility of the town's government had once again taken a hit
From Michael Morton's article in the Milford Daily News:
Read the full article here recapping the Town Council meeting of 11/28/07.
Faced with a recently discovered $590,000 school funding gap, councilors voted last night to plug the hole with money from the town's savings account.
Although the Finance Committee recommended that the schools be held accountable by giving up $290,000 from their budget, and taking $300,000 from the fiscal stabilization fund, the council decided that it did not yet have enough information to assign responsibility.
Read the full article here recapping the Town Council meeting of 11/28/07.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Tax Hearing Q&A
Councilors Pfeffer and McGann with their initial questions on how many seniors apply for deferments for tax relief.
Time: 2 minutes, 14 seconds
MP3 File
Time: 2 minutes, 14 seconds
MP3 File
live blogging - Town Council Meeting 11/28/07
Motion to balance the discovered discrepancy in the School budget for FY 07 with transfer of $590,000 from stabilization.
The auditors are scheduled to come to the Town Council at a future meeting to address the problem and make recommendations.
Role call -> 9-0 motion passed
The auditors are scheduled to come to the Town Council at a future meeting to address the problem and make recommendations.
Role call -> 9-0 motion passed
Live blogging -Town Council meeting 11/28/07
Deficit in FY 09 will be far greater than FY 08 per Nutting.
Live blogging - Town Council Meeting 11/28/07
Motion to allocate the Hotel/Motel Tax per Nutting recommendation to next agenda.
Passed 7-2.
Passed 7-2.
Live blogging - Town Council Meeting 11/28/07
Citizens comment
Michael LeBlanc
place holder for recorded comment
Michael LeBlanc
place holder for recorded comment
Live blogging - Town Council Meeting 11/28/07
Citizens Comment
Susan Spears
place holder for recorded comment on use of open space/community preservation
Susan Spears
place holder for recorded comment on use of open space/community preservation
Live blogging - Town Council Meeting 11/28/07
placeholder for recording of comment by Historical Commission representative
Live Blogging - Town Council Meeting 11/28/07
Jeff Nutting reviews the proposal for the Town Council to change the allocation of the Hotel Tax. He proposes to use $90,000 for an architect to provide an assessment on repairs required for the library. He also proposes to use $200,000 to make repairs to the old Senior Center in preparation for the Museum.
The Town Council would need to make a vote to appropriate the money for these uses. Otherwise, the money would go into the open space fund as originally allocated.
The vote would need to take place before the tax rate is set at the meeting next week.
The Town Council would need to make a vote to appropriate the money for these uses. Otherwise, the money would go into the open space fund as originally allocated.
The vote would need to take place before the tax rate is set at the meeting next week.
Live blogging - Town Council Meeting 11/28/07
Tax rate - Citizen Portion
Ken Norman
Ken Norman
Michael Leblanc is an honorable man, I have worked with him, he does good analysis. I would caution you to use the information he has provided carefully... Let's get Mr Whalen and Mr LeBlanc together and see what they can come up with.
Live blogging - Town Council Meeting 11/28/07
Tax rate - Citizen portion
Michael Doherty
"If there is a problem with assessments, fix that problem, do not address it with it a split tax rate... Franklin needs to be competitive with India as well as Indiana... You increase the pie by selling the properties we are trying to, get them on the tax role."
Michael Doherty
"If there is a problem with assessments, fix that problem, do not address it with it a split tax rate... Franklin needs to be competitive with India as well as Indiana... You increase the pie by selling the properties we are trying to, get them on the tax role."
Live blogging - Town Council Meeting 11/28/07
Tax Rate Citizen comment portion
Michael LeBlanc speaking
Commercial/Industrial properties
64 properties sold from 2004 to 2007, reduced to 54 for analysis
pre-assessed value of these properties sold $264
difference is 96 million, assessment 36% below what they were sold for
9 of the properties, had an assessed value higher than the sale price
55 were below, Franklin Village was the single biggest difference
family homes
895 properties, presale 384 million 5%
262 were assessed higher than sale
633 were valued less than sale price
From Kevin - Board of Assessors in response to questions from M LeBlanc
more than 50% of the properties provide the information on income and expenses
if they don't supply the information, the business would waive their right to appeal the tax assessment, they may jeopardize their appeal at the state level, they are also subject to a $50 penalty.
there were several properties in the Industrial Park that were assessed for 45.7 million, sold for 67.8 million; the current year assessments went down to 42 million.
Summary: The business are effectively getting a tax break of about $2.5 million that the residents are picking up.
Michael LeBlanc speaking
Commercial/Industrial properties
64 properties sold from 2004 to 2007, reduced to 54 for analysis
pre-assessed value of these properties sold $264
difference is 96 million, assessment 36% below what they were sold for
9 of the properties, had an assessed value higher than the sale price
55 were below, Franklin Village was the single biggest difference
family homes
895 properties, presale 384 million 5%
262 were assessed higher than sale
633 were valued less than sale price
From Kevin - Board of Assessors in response to questions from M LeBlanc
more than 50% of the properties provide the information on income and expenses
if they don't supply the information, the business would waive their right to appeal the tax assessment, they may jeopardize their appeal at the state level, they are also subject to a $50 penalty.
there were several properties in the Industrial Park that were assessed for 45.7 million, sold for 67.8 million; the current year assessments went down to 42 million.
Summary: The business are effectively getting a tax break of about $2.5 million that the residents are picking up.
Live blogging - Town Council Meeting 11/28/07
Tax rate Q&A
Jeff Nutting proposed to pick the properties that sold around $1 million, which would be about 20 or so properties, to re-do the calculation and include that years assessed value for those properties to make a determination as to whether there is an undervaluation of business commercial properties.
Jeff Nutting proposed to pick the properties that sold around $1 million, which would be about 20 or so properties, to re-do the calculation and include that years assessed value for those properties to make a determination as to whether there is an undervaluation of business commercial properties.
Live blogging - Town Council Meeting 11/28/07
Tax rate Q&A
After some clarification, yes, they can and will do that.
Can you re-cast this spreadsheet to show the assessed valuation at the time of the sale? Could you do that for us?from Stephen Whalen during this discussion
After some clarification, yes, they can and will do that.
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