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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2012-04-10 Board of Assessors Minutes -ram efreda- (S9 :N(14, TOWN OF READING I. E_ 16 LOWELL STREET nECE.IVED a , READING, MA 018677 0o v.1 ^ ss. , -CLERK F et g 639'�NCOna°�`P BOARD OF ASSESSW APR 1 8 P I. O;I TEL.: 781-942-9027 FAX: 781-942-9037 MINUTES APRIL 10, 2012 MEETING CALLED TO ORDER AT 7:00 P.M. IN ATTENDANCE: BOA PRESENT: MR. FRED A. MCGRANE, MR. RALPH A. COLORUSSO AND MR. ROBERT J. QUINN,JR. BOA ABSENT: NONE. STAFF: MS. PAT SULLIVAN. 1. APPOINTMENTS: - TED MOORE AND HIS ATTORNEY, BRAD LATHAM-7:30 TO 8:00PM. 2. MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING/S: MARCH 27, 2012-ROBERT J. QUINN,JR. READ ALOUD THE DRAFT MINUTES. NO CHANGES WERE PROPOSED. FRED A. MCGRANE MOVED THAT THE MINUTES BE ACCEPTED; SECONDED BY RALPH A. COLORUSSO. MOTION WAS APPROVED BY A 3-0-0 VOTE. • MINUTES CONTINUED ' 4 3. INTERIM TOWN APPRAISER'S REPORT: DELIVERED BY PAT SULLIVAN • BOARD TO ACT ON THE LAST FOUR FY2012 ABATEMENT REQUESTS TONIGHT. • PAT SULLIVAN SPOKE WITH THE READING HISTORICAL COMMISSION ("RHC"). THEY WANT TO DEFER THEIR MEETING WITH THE BOARD UNTIL AFTER TOWN MEETING, WHICH IS SCHEDULED TO END ON MAY 3RD. • THE OWNER OF 389 SUMMER AVENUE WOULD LIKE TO SCHEDULE A MEETING TO DISCUSS THE DENIAL OF HER ABATEMENT APPLICATION. PAT SULLIVAN WILL TRY TO SCHEDULE HER FOR SOMETIME IN MAY. • PAT SULLIVAN WILL NOT BE ABLE TO ATTEND NEXT WEEK'S MEETING. 4. SIGNINGS: - THE BOARD REVIEWED AND APPROVED ROUTINE MOTOR VEHICLE EXCISE TAX ABATEMENT REQUESTS AND CERTIFIED ABUTTERS LISTS. THE BOARD THEN REVIEWED AND ACTED UPON THE FOUR REMAINING FY2012 REAL ESTATE TAX ABATEMENT REQUESTS AS FOLLOWS: APPROVED: #54,#70 & #72. DENIED: #57. THE BOARD UNANIMOUSLY VOTED TO FOLLOW THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE INTERIM TOWN APPRAISER IN EACH INSTANCE. MINUTES CONTINUED 5. NEW BUSINESS: - `5a. JOHNSON WOODS TED MOORE APPEARED BEFORE THE BOARD WITH HIS ATTORNEY BRAD LATHAM. THE BOARD HAD PREVIOUSLY DENIED SEVERAL FY2012 ABATEMENT APPLICATIONS FILED BY MOORE WITH RESPECT TO HIS JOHNSON WOODS PROJECT. THE ASSESSED VALUE OF THE FOUR FINISHED UNITS OWNED BY MOORE WAS DISCUSSED. THESE UNITS WERE REPORTEDLY PURCHASED BY MOORE FROM THEIR UNRELATED PREVIOUS OWNERS PURSUANT TO THE EXERCISE OF HIS RIGHT OF FIRST REFUSAL. TWO OF THESE UNITS WERE BOUGHT IN LATE DECEMBER 2010 OR 2009 FOR APPROXIMATELY $350,000 EACH. MOORE WAS NOT CERTAIN OF THE EXACT DETAILS. HE CONTENDS THAT THE TOWN'S APPRAISER SHOULD HAVE TREATED THESE TRANSACTIONS AS COMPARABLE SALES BUT DID NOT, APPARENTLY ON THE THEORY THAT THEY WERE NOT MADE AT ARM'S LENGTH. THE "BIGGER ISSUE" PERTAINS TO THE ASSESSED VALUE OF WHAT MOORE TERMED HIS "PARENT PARCEL". ACCORDING TO MOORE, THE ASSESSED VALUE NOW INCLUDES $2.4m FOR"DEVELOPMENT RIGHTS". MOORE'S OBJECTION IS FOUNDED ON TWO.COMPANION CASES, SPINNAKER ISLAND YACHT CLUB AND FIRST MAIN STREET CORPORATION, PREVIOUSLY PROVIDED TO THE TOWN APPRAISER. ROBERT J. QUINN,JR.ASKED IF THESE CASES (WHICH WERE DECIDED IN MARCH 2000) REPRESENTED THE CURRENT STATE OF LAW. MR. LATHAM CONFIRMED THAT THEY DID. MOORE ASKED IF THE BOARD WOULD PREFER THAT HE FILE AN APPEAL WITH THE ATB NOW. FRED A.MCGRANE TOLD HIM THAT THE BOARD WAS WILLING TO TAKE A SECOND LOOK AT THE APPLICATIONS AND PROMISED THAT IT WOULD DO SO AND GET BACK TO HIM SOON. SATISFIED,MOORE AND LATHAM THEN LEFT THE MEETING. MINUTES CONTINUED FRED A. MCGRANE THEN ASKED PAT SULLIVAN TO HAVE ALL THE SUBJECT FILES MADE AVAILABLE FOR THE BOARD'S REVIEW AT ITS NEXT MEETING. 5. NEW BUSINESS: - 5b. CLAUSE 18 HARDSHIP EXEMPTION THE BOARD REVIEWED A LETTER DATED APRIL 9, 2012 WRITTEN BY ATTORNEY CHRIS LATHAM ON BEHALF OF THE APPLICANT FOR A CLAUSE 18 HARDSHIP EXEMPTION. THE APPLICANT LAST APPEARED BEFORE THE BOARD ON MARCH 27T". RALPH A. COLORUSSO NOTED THE APPLICANT WAS NOT REPRESENTED.BY COUNSEL ON THAT OR ANY PREVIOUS OCCASION. THE BOARD VOTED TO GRANT THE APPLICANT AN EXEMPTION EQUAL TO 50% OF HER FY2012 REAL ESTATE TAXES AT ITS LAST MEETING(ON APRIL 3RD). THE PAPERWORK NOTIFYING THE APPLICANT OF THE BOARD'S ACTION WAS APPROVED AND SIGNED WITH A COPY OF SAME TO GO TO ATTORNEY LATHAM IN RESPONSE TO HIS LETTER. 6. GENERAL BUSINESS: - 6a. PATRIOT PROPERTIES PROGRESS BILLING THE BOARD WAS ASKED TO APPROVE AN INVOICE FROM PATRIOT PROPERTIES INC. DATED 3/31/12 AND PURPORTING TO BE A PROGRESS BILLING FOR SERVICES RENDERED IN CONNECTION WITH THE ONGOING SYSTEM CONVERSION. FRED A. MCGRANE NOTED THAT THE BOARD IS NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE TERMS OF THE UNDERLYING CONTRACT AND IS NOT ABLE TO VERIFY WHETHER THE SERVICES ENUMERATED IN THE INVOICE WERE ACTUALLY PERFORMED OR NOT. ACCORDINGLY, FRED A. MCGRANE ASKED PAT SULLIVAN TO FORWARD THE INVOICE TO BOB LELACHEUR AND/OR THE TOWN'S IT DEPARTMENT FOR THEIR APPROVAL. MINUTES CONTINUED ti 6: GENERAL BUSINESS: - 6b. READING HISTORICAL COMMISSION PAT SULLIVAN WILL SCHEDULE A MEETING WITH THE READING HISTORICAL COMMISSION FOR SOMETIME IN MAY. READING HISTORICAL COMMISSION WANTS TO • ENSURE THAT ALL PROPERTIES SUBJECT TO THE DEMOLITION DELAY BYLAW ARE"FLAGGED" IN THE ASSESSOR'S DATA BASE. PAT SULLIVAN THEN DESCRIBED WHAT IS BEING DONE CURRENTLY IN THIS REGARD. ROBERT J. QUINN, JR. NOTED THAT THE GENERAL PUBLIC CAN NOT ACCESS THIS INFORMATION THROUGH THE ASSESSORS DATA BASE. HOWEVER,THE LIST IS POSTED ON THE READING HISTORICAL COMMISSION'S WEBSITE. THE BUILDING DEPARTMENT SHOULD ALSO HAVE A BLACK 3 RING BINDER CONTAINING INVENTORY SHEETS FOR ALL DESIGNATED HISTORIC PROPERTIES. 6c. REGIONALIZATION FRED A. MCGRANE EMAILED THE TOWN MANAGER FOLLOWING LAST WEEK'S MEETING. HE HAS HEARD NOTHING SUBSTANTATIVE SINCE THEN. A BRIEF DISCUSSION ENSUED. 6d. REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS TWO VENDORS HAVE RESPONDED TO THE BOARD'S RFP: PATRIOT PROPERTIES AND KRT APPRAISAL. A THIRD VENDOR (VISION) DECLINED TO SUBMIT A PROPOSAL. KRT STATES THAT IT IS FULLY CAPABLE OF PERFORMING THE REQUIRED SERVICES BUT THE "STRINGENT REQUIREMENTS" OF THE RFP WOULD TECHNICALLY DISQUALIFY IT. RALPH A. COLORUSSO BELIEVES THAT KRT IS REFERRING TO SECTION 1.A OF THE MINIMUM EVALUATION CRITERIA. MINUTES CONTINUED 6d. REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS A DISCUSSION ENSUED AS TO WHETHER KRT OR SOME OTHER VENDOR COULD BE USED IN SOME (QC) CAPACITY. FRED A. MCGRANE CALLED DICK SWADEL AT PATRIOT TO CLARIFY HIS PRICING PROPOSAL. THE BOARD WAS EXPECTING THE COST WOULD BE ABOUT $25,000 PER YEAR. HOWEVER,PATRIOT MISTAKENLY UNDERSTOOD THAT IT WAS TO INSPECT EVERY IMPROVED PARCEL IN READING, WHICH IS NOT THE CASE. PAT SULLIVAN WILL TRY TO DEVELOP A MORE PRECISE ESTIMATE OF THE NUMBER OF INSPECTIONS THAT WILL ACTUALLY BE REQUIRED. FRED A. MCGRANE NOTED THAT PAYROLL SAVINGS RESULTING FROM BILL BOATWRIGHT'S DEPARTURE MIGHT BE USED TO OFFSET ANY COST OVERRUNS. 6e. CANDIDATES: A TOTAL OF 9 CANDIDATES HAVE APPLIED FOR TOWN APPRAISER POSITION. RALP A. COLORUSSO HAD PREPARED A SPREADSHEET FOR THE BOARD'S REVIEW WHICH SUMMARIZES EACH CANDIDATE'S QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE. THE BOARD REVIEWED THIS SPREADSHEET IN DETAIL AND IDENTIFIED FOUR CANDIDATES WHOM IT WOULD LIKE TO INTERVIEW NEXT WEEK, IF POSSIBLE. RALPH A. COLORUSSO WILL ASK CAROL ROBERTS (HR) TO MAKE THE NECESSARY ARRANGEMENTS. 7. CORRESPONDENCE: - 4/9/12 LETTER FROM ATTORNEY CHRIS LATHAM ON BEHALF OF THE CLAUSE 18 HARDSHIP APPLICANT. 4/4/12 EMAIL FROM FRED A. MCGRANE TO PETER HECHENBLEIKNER, BOB LELACHEUR ETAL RE: REGIONALIZATION AND OTHER MATTERS. MINUTES CONTINUED 8. NEXT MEETING(S): 1 TUESDAY,APRIL 17, 2012 @ 7:00 P.M. 8a: Anticipated Topics: • REVIEW MINUTES OF 4/3/12 & 4/10/12 MEETINGS • INTERVIEW CANDIDATES FOR TOWN APPRAISER POSITION. ADJOURNED: 10:15 P.M. ATTEST: RO RT J. Q NN-SECRETARY