TOWN
OF PROVINCETOWN
DEPARTMENT
OF MUNICIPAL FINANCE - ASSESSORS’ OFFICE
The following minutes are
available on-line as a service and are not the official record due to changes
in formatting for the Internet. The minutes may have attachments that are
not included here in this format. The official, complete paper copy can
be viewed during regular office hours, Monday - Friday: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
in the Office of the Town Clerk, 260 Commercial St. Provincetown, MA 02657.
BOARD
OF ASSESSORS MEETING
Town
Hall, September 16, 1999
CALL
TO ORDER:The
meeting was called to order at 9:20 AM by
Chairperson,
Alberta Romano.
MEMBERS
PRESENT:Ms.
Romano, Mr. Jack Kosko, Mr. Rick Blanchette
MEMBERS
ABSENT:Mrs.
Lina Berry, Mr. Louis Cervantes
OTHERS
PRESENT:Staff:Mr.
Dana Faris, Principal Assessor; Mr. John
Warner,
Assessing Department Clerk
MINUTES:
Mr.
Kosko moved, seconded by Ms. Romano, to approve the minutes of the July
15, 1999 meeting as written.The
motion carried by a vote of 3-0
PUBLIC
STATEMENTS:There
were no public statements.
CORRESPONDENCE:Mr.
Faris reported on the following recent correspondence sent or received
by the Assessors’ Office:
1.A
memo from Mr. Faris to Warren Alexander, BuildingCommissioner,
alerting him that there appears to be an illegal dwelling at Bayview Wharf
Condominiums.
2.A
letter from Mr. Faris to Paul Kapinos, the consultant working on the fiscal
year 2000 revaluation for the Town of Provincetown.
3.A
letter from Charles B. Holmes, Assistant Town Clerk, to the Board of Assessors
informing that an applicant appointed to fill the Board’s vacancy did not
sign her appointment papers in a timely fashion.
4.A
letter to the Board of Assessors from Francisco Silva of 145 Commercial
St., Unit #3B, urging the Board of Selectmen not to adopt a residential
exemption for FY 2000 real property taxes.
5.A
report to various town boards/committees from Stephan J. Nofield, Town
Clerk, indicating existing vacancies.
6.A
memo from Kopelman & Paige, Town Counsel, to the Board of Assessors
regarding payment or abatement of real estate taxes when municipalities
acquire property by gift or purchase.
7.A
memo from the Department of Revenue to the Board of Assessors regarding
tax rate approval and Y2K compliance.
8.A
department update memo from Kenneth J. Learned, Director of Municipal Finance.
9.An
invoice from Mr. Faris to the Soup Kitchen of Provincetown accompanying
a set of mailing labels for property owners in Provincetown.
10.An
invoice from Mr. Faris to Sally Alcock of Across the Bay Real Estate accompanying
a diskette of assessing department data.
11.A
letter to the Board of Assessors from Marilyn H. Browne, Chief Bureau of
Local Affairs, asking for a determination of the fair cash valuation of
certain state owned lands in the town.
12.A
memo from Mr. Faris to E. Winn Davis, Assistant Town Manager, regarding
recommendations for the position of Real Property Inspector.
13.A
bulletin from the Department of Revenue regarding the Course 101 Training
Program for Assessors for the Fall of 1999.
OLD
BUSINESS:
Appellate
Tax Board Cases Update:Mr.
Faris reported on the following Appellate Tax Board cases:
1.Great
Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co., 32 Conwell St.Mr.
Faris reported that he was awaiting final notification from the ATB regarding
a withdrawal of the pending cases and acceptance of a settlement offer.
2.Seagull
Realty Trust, 56 Shank Painter Rd.Mr.
Faris reported that these cases have been continued.
3.LaPalme,
Paula, #10 Bay Shore CD.Mr.
Faris reported that this case was heard in Hyannis on Wednesday, September
8, 1999 and the decision is pending.
In
addition, Mr. Faris reported that he is still awaiting decisions on the
other pending cases that were heard in Provincetown on July 29, 1999.
Clause
58, Section 8 Abatements:There
were no applications for abatement for this period.
·Fully
abate eight bills for 1999 which were issued in error.
·Partially
abate 27 bills for 1998/1999 due to sales or trades of vehicles
Mr.
Kosko stepped down from the vote on motor vehicle abatements due to personal
ties with one of the applicants.Mr.
Blanchette moved, seconded by Ms. Romano, to accept Mr. Warner’s recommendations.The
motion carried by a vote of 2-0-1.
Boat
Excise Tax Abatements:There
were no applications for abatement to consider for this period.
County
Tax & Environmental Protection Tax Fund:.
Motions and signatures for these items were postponed until the next meeting
when it is hopedthat a full board
will be present.
Classification
Hearing:Mr.
Faris reported that the Board of Selectmen will hold the annual classification
hearing onSeptember 27, 1999 at
7:00PM.The Board of Selectmen has
asked for recommendations from the Board of Assessors relating to three
classification questions.
1.Tax
Rate Split between Commercial & Residential properties:Mr.
Blanchette moved, seconded by Mr. Kosko, to recommend that the Board of
Selectmen not split the tax rate.The
motion carried by a vote of 3-0.
2.Residential
Exemption:Mr. Kosko moved, seconded
by Mr. Blanchette, to recommend that the Board of Selectmen not vote to
adopt a residential exemption.
3.Small
Commercial Exemption:Mr. Blanchette
recused himself from the discussion and vote on this recommendation.Mr.
Kosko moved, seconded by Ms. Romano, to recommend that the Board of Selectmen
not adopt a small commercial exemption.The
motion carried by a vote of 2-0 with 1 abstention.
Revaluation
Consultant:
Mr.
Kosko moved, seconded by Mr. Blanchette, to approve the contract to hire
Paul S. Kapinos & Associates to provide professional consulting services
for the Town in conjunction with the FY 2000 revaluation.The
motion carried by a vote of 3-0.
Water
Leins:
Mr.
Blanchette moved, seconded by Mr. Kosko, to accept the list of unpaid water
bills from the Treasurer and add them to the FY 2000 tax bills in November.The
motion carried by a vote of 3-0.
Board
Vacancy:Mr.
Faris presented an application from Pam Parmakian.After
discussion, Mr. Blanchette moved, seconded by Mr. Kosko, to appoint Ms
Parmakian to fill the vacancy on the Board in accordance with §3-1-2
of the Provincetown Charter.The
motion carried by a vote of 3-0.
OTHER/MISCELLANEOUS:
Assessing
Team and Office News:There
was no assessing team or office news that was not fully covered elsewhere
in the minutes.
Future
Meeting Dates:There
will be a meeting of the Board of Assessors on Thursday, September 30,
1999 at 9:00 AM.
ADJOURNMENT:There
being no further business to come before the Board, Mr. Blanchette moved
that the meeting be adjourned at 10:00AM and the meeting was adjourned.
Respectfully
submitted:
__________________________________________________
Lina
Berry, ClerkDana
Faris, Principal Assessor