July 20, 2026 – Board of Assessors – Video & Transcript
July 20, 2026 - Board of Assessors
So, why don't we call this meeting to order? It is 6.03 p.m. on this July 20th, and I'll read the preamble.
So, pursuant to Chapter 2 of the Acts of 2025, this meeting will be conducted in person and or via remote access in accordance with applicable law.
If this meeting has been only remote access, no in-person attendance by members of the public will be permitted.
If this meeting has remote access, one may watch or participate remotely with the meeting link that can be found in the agenda on the town website.
Then when required by law or allowed by the chair, persons wishing to provide public comment or otherwise participating in the meeting may do so at the meeting location, in person or remote.
Public comment should be limited to two minutes per person.
And so, by roll call vote, let's call this meeting to order.
Stinklitz, go ahead here.
Clovis, are you still with us? Yeah, sorry. I'm still confused with how to join otherwise, but yeah, I'm with you. And I, this is Zach Ventress here, and so we have a quorum. Moderator, is there anyone waiting in the waiting area for public comment? I see no one else right now. Okay. Our first agenda item is to review the minutes of Monday, June 15th at 6 p.m. Open session.
Clovis and Steven, any... I have no comments. I think it looks fine to me. No comments. Would one of you like to make a motion to approve the minutes as drafted? Sure. I have moved that we approve the minutes of June 15th as presented. Do I have a second?
Second, yes.
All in favor by roll call vote? Steve Klitgård, yes.
Clovis, yes. And Zach Ventress, yes. It's unanimous. And so, we'll move on to the next item in the agenda.
Okay. So, at 6.05, correspondence and documents. So, Zach, I need your guidance on this. So, we were going to talk about board reorganization. But without Doug here, should we hold off? Yeah, I would say, yeah. Why don't we wait until we have a full board? Okay. And cover that in an upcoming meeting. So, that will be tabled. Okay. So, fiscal 27, calendar year 26, motor vehicle and trailer excise, fourth commitment. You can find that on page 5 and 6 in the PDF. So, we have the warrant here. The number of bills is 357. Valuation 9,170,876.62. The tax is $136,643.57, with an issue date of 7-23-2026. Okay. Do I have a motion to approve the motor vehicle and trailer excise tax for this fourth commitment? I move that we approve the assessor's warrant of the treasurer, collector, motor vehicles, and trailer excise fourth commitment.
357 bills. Valuation of $9,170,000. Tax of $136,643.57 is issued on July 23, 2026. Do I have a second?
I approve it, Chef. Second. All in favor by roll call vote? Steve Clifford, yes. Steve Clifford, yes. And Zach Ventress, yes. That's unanimous.
Okay. The next item is on page 7. Chapter land release of lien. Parcel number 18-025. Location address is 17 Gleason Lane. This is a property that was recently sold and it was realized that there was still a lien on the property from prior participation in the program, the chapter land program. So, this needs to be released because there's now a new owner and they're not participating in the program. Okay. So, they're not, the new owner is not going to put their land in chapter land? Correct. Okay. Got it. Okay. And so, Tamara, do you need us to, well, question, does one of us, do we need to sign this? Do you, can you, are we just voting to, like, release? Like, what do you, what do you need from the board? Yeah, it does need to be signed. So, I assume a vote today would be first and then we can sign. Yeah. And do you need everybody to come in to the town building to sign? No, we can use your stamps. Okay. Okay. So, yeah. After the vote. Okay.
Okay. Do I have a motion to release the chapter land lien for? Yep. Okay. I move that we release the classified forest agriculture horticultural and educational land tax lien on chapter 11 land contained in 518 part of the Gleason Lane from Shelley and Margaret Phyllis Files. I move that we release that. A quick question. Sure. What, what, yeah, what does that enter on the chapter land here? So, chapter land is a special program in the state of Massachusetts to take excess acreage and it, you promise to not develop it and make it available to the public and you receive a tax discount on that, on that portion of your land. And so, chapters, it's referring to the chapter of the state code.
And I'm curious because the, well, Zach, you know, the trails behind Gleason Lane in that area, I guess. Is that for an access to the trails or it's unrelated, that chapter land portion? Yeah, I don't know. I'd have to look at the property map. Maybe unrelated.
And, of course, in this case, all we're doing is releasing the land from the current owner since they're not, correct? Yeah. Yeah. To the previous owners. We're releasing the lien on the previous owners who have since sold the property. Ah, okay. Yeah, exactly. And then the new owners, they can always participate, but it sounds like at this moment, they're not applying and trying to enroll in the program. Yes.
Okay, interesting. So, I see it might be, yeah, the property where there was a project to connect holiday lands to Old Sudbury Road somehow. So, that's a conservation land there. Okay. So, now I understand a bit more. Yeah. So, Clovis, Stephen made a motion. Do you second? Yep, second. All in favor by roll call vote? Steve Klippgaard, yes. Louis Schiff, yes. And Zach Ventress, yes. That's unanimous.
Okay. 6-12.
Directors review and update on office activities. The three of us have been able to use some vacation time over the last couple months. Rob is obviously presently not here. He'll be back on Monday. We are focusing on building permits, cyclical, and sales inspections to collect that growth right now. So, that's our focus at the moment, and that's about it. 6-13.
Actually, so I was wrong on the time on the other one. So, 6-13. Topics, if not reasonably anticipated by the Board of Assessor Chair, 48 hours in advance. Yeah, no topics. I have none. 6-13 again. Board of Members, thoughts or concerns? Anyone? No, I'm all set. Okay. All set. So, date of next meeting is Monday, August 10th at 6 o'clock, open session, and 6-30 executive session.
And that's it.
And then, Tamara, we're going to break and enter executive session? Yes. Okay. And so, let's exit this meeting with the roll call vote, and then we'll reconvene in executive session. And so, the executive session will be for the purposes to comply with GL Chapter 59, Section 60, and GL Chapter 214, Section 1B, as permitted by Purpose 7 of GL Chapter 30A, Section 21A, to review and discuss the minutes of the June 15th executive session. And then, yes. then the board will exit and not return to open meeting. So by roll call vote, let's adjourn this portion of the public meeting. Steve Clifford, yes. Ravishek, yes. And Zach Ventress, yes. Please rejoin on the executive session link. Okay. See you there. Thank you.
Clovis, are you still with us? Yeah, sorry. I'm still confused with how to join otherwise, but yeah, I'm with you. And I, this is Zach Ventress here, and so we have a quorum. Moderator, is there anyone waiting in the waiting area for public comment? I see no one else right now. Okay. Our first agenda item is to review the minutes of Monday, June 15th at 6 p.m. Open session.
Clovis and Steven, any... I have no comments. I think it looks fine to me. No comments. Would one of you like to make a motion to approve the minutes as drafted? Sure. I have moved that we approve the minutes of June 15th as presented. Do I have a second?
Second, yes.
All in favor by roll call vote? Steve Klitgård, yes.
Clovis, yes. And Zach Ventress, yes. It's unanimous. And so, we'll move on to the next item in the agenda.
Okay. So, at 6.05, correspondence and documents. So, Zach, I need your guidance on this. So, we were going to talk about board reorganization. But without Doug here, should we hold off? Yeah, I would say, yeah. Why don't we wait until we have a full board? Okay. And cover that in an upcoming meeting. So, that will be tabled. Okay. So, fiscal 27, calendar year 26, motor vehicle and trailer excise, fourth commitment. You can find that on page 5 and 6 in the PDF. So, we have the warrant here. The number of bills is 357. Valuation 9,170,876.62. The tax is $136,643.57, with an issue date of 7-23-2026. Okay. Do I have a motion to approve the motor vehicle and trailer excise tax for this fourth commitment? I move that we approve the assessor's warrant of the treasurer, collector, motor vehicles, and trailer excise fourth commitment.
357 bills. Valuation of $9,170,000. Tax of $136,643.57 is issued on July 23, 2026. Do I have a second?
I approve it, Chef. Second. All in favor by roll call vote? Steve Clifford, yes. Steve Clifford, yes. And Zach Ventress, yes. That's unanimous.
Okay. The next item is on page 7. Chapter land release of lien. Parcel number 18-025. Location address is 17 Gleason Lane. This is a property that was recently sold and it was realized that there was still a lien on the property from prior participation in the program, the chapter land program. So, this needs to be released because there's now a new owner and they're not participating in the program. Okay. So, they're not, the new owner is not going to put their land in chapter land? Correct. Okay. Got it. Okay. And so, Tamara, do you need us to, well, question, does one of us, do we need to sign this? Do you, can you, are we just voting to, like, release? Like, what do you, what do you need from the board? Yeah, it does need to be signed. So, I assume a vote today would be first and then we can sign. Yeah. And do you need everybody to come in to the town building to sign? No, we can use your stamps. Okay. Okay. So, yeah. After the vote. Okay.
Okay. Do I have a motion to release the chapter land lien for? Yep. Okay. I move that we release the classified forest agriculture horticultural and educational land tax lien on chapter 11 land contained in 518 part of the Gleason Lane from Shelley and Margaret Phyllis Files. I move that we release that. A quick question. Sure. What, what, yeah, what does that enter on the chapter land here? So, chapter land is a special program in the state of Massachusetts to take excess acreage and it, you promise to not develop it and make it available to the public and you receive a tax discount on that, on that portion of your land. And so, chapters, it's referring to the chapter of the state code.
And I'm curious because the, well, Zach, you know, the trails behind Gleason Lane in that area, I guess. Is that for an access to the trails or it's unrelated, that chapter land portion? Yeah, I don't know. I'd have to look at the property map. Maybe unrelated.
And, of course, in this case, all we're doing is releasing the land from the current owner since they're not, correct? Yeah. Yeah. To the previous owners. We're releasing the lien on the previous owners who have since sold the property. Ah, okay. Yeah, exactly. And then the new owners, they can always participate, but it sounds like at this moment, they're not applying and trying to enroll in the program. Yes.
Okay, interesting. So, I see it might be, yeah, the property where there was a project to connect holiday lands to Old Sudbury Road somehow. So, that's a conservation land there. Okay. So, now I understand a bit more. Yeah. So, Clovis, Stephen made a motion. Do you second? Yep, second. All in favor by roll call vote? Steve Klippgaard, yes. Louis Schiff, yes. And Zach Ventress, yes. That's unanimous.
Okay. 6-12.
Directors review and update on office activities. The three of us have been able to use some vacation time over the last couple months. Rob is obviously presently not here. He'll be back on Monday. We are focusing on building permits, cyclical, and sales inspections to collect that growth right now. So, that's our focus at the moment, and that's about it. 6-13.
Actually, so I was wrong on the time on the other one. So, 6-13. Topics, if not reasonably anticipated by the Board of Assessor Chair, 48 hours in advance. Yeah, no topics. I have none. 6-13 again. Board of Members, thoughts or concerns? Anyone? No, I'm all set. Okay. All set. So, date of next meeting is Monday, August 10th at 6 o'clock, open session, and 6-30 executive session.
And that's it.
And then, Tamara, we're going to break and enter executive session? Yes. Okay. And so, let's exit this meeting with the roll call vote, and then we'll reconvene in executive session. And so, the executive session will be for the purposes to comply with GL Chapter 59, Section 60, and GL Chapter 214, Section 1B, as permitted by Purpose 7 of GL Chapter 30A, Section 21A, to review and discuss the minutes of the June 15th executive session. And then, yes. then the board will exit and not return to open meeting. So by roll call vote, let's adjourn this portion of the public meeting. Steve Clifford, yes. Ravishek, yes. And Zach Ventress, yes. Please rejoin on the executive session link. Okay. See you there. Thank you.