7 November, 2019
On November 5, the Town of Hopkinton Select Board approved limited tax relief for a small
group of qualifying senior citizens by a unanimous 5-0 vote. The relief takes the form of a
partial exemption of property taxes for 2020, of up to $2,200. Exemptions totaling $66,600 were
granted under the program. At the Select Board meeting, Chair Brendan Tedstone said. “This is
a good message to get out there, that Hopkinton supports its seniors.”
This action by the Select Board launches the first year of a program authorized by a law passed
in the Massachusetts Legislature and enacted by the Governor in 2018, specifically for the
Town of Hopkinton. Implementation of the law was approved by Hopkinton Town Meeting in
2019, and the Hopkinton Board of Assessors managed the process to collect and evaluate
applications.
To qualify, seniors must be longtime homeowners in Hopkinton, and must meet limits on both
income and assets linked to the state Circuit Breaker tax credit.
Board of Assessors member Lesley Ficarri said, “We used press releases, social media, and
personal outreach to let people know about this opportunity, and ultimately received 37
applications, of which 33 met the qualifying criteria. We hope that the word about this
opportunity spreads for future years.”
The authorizing legislation has a sunset clause, ending three years from now if it is not renewed
or extended. The Town is tracking reauthorization, and is tracking experience under the law to
see if any additional changes would be beneficial.
