This article is part of a series looking at warrant articles leading up to the Town Meeting on May 6.
Town Meeting voters will decide two changes aimed at providing property tax relief for seniors, including a proposal to increase the amount they can earn off their tax bills by volunteering for the town.
Article 23, sponsored by Finance Director Aleesha Nunley Benjamin, would raise the maximum reduction seniors can receive on their real estate tax bill from $750 to $2,000 through the Senior Tax Work-off Program. The Select Board has recommended adoption of the measure.
Under the current program, Marblehead homeowners age 60 and over who meet certain income limits can volunteer at town departments and receive a credit of $15 per hour worked against their property taxes, up to a maximum of $750 per year. There are currently about 20 seniors participating.
“We use it a lot,” said Pam Peterson, chair of the Marblehead Historical Commission. “We have the largest number of work-off people. I think there’s nine that work with the commission in different ways.”
Peterson said three of the volunteers work with the collections manager cataloging items, while the rest staff the commission’s gift shop, keeping it open from Memorial Day to Columbus Day.
“They’re really wonderful,” Peterson said of the senior volunteers. “A lot of them are really nice and just keep coming and do their shifts, even after their time is completed.”
Lyn Doran, 76, has participated in the program for five years as a fitness center monitor at the Council on Aging. She called it a “win-win.”
“I’m retired, looking for things to do, so I have my little job,” Doran said. “When you get your tax bill, they split the $750 … off my tax bill twice per year.”
Doran said she puts in more hours than the 55 required because she enjoys it and doesn’t want to leave the center shorthanded. “They need monitors for the exercise room, so if I left after my hours, I’d leave them in the lurch,” she explained. “I usually work about 45 Fridays per year.”
Council on Aging Director Lisa Hooper, who administers the program, said she’s “never heard anything bad about it.”
She added: “It works well for the departments and the volunteers.” She noted participation is down from the full 30 slots pre-pandemic, as some seniors have moved away or passed on.
The state recently authorized towns to increase the credit to $2,000, and many have already done so. At the current minimum wage of $15 per hour, that would equal 133 volunteer hours.
Hooper said the higher amount would be a big help to seniors on fixed incomes facing rising costs and property taxes. “It’s not a huge amount of money, but every little bit helps,” she said. “These are people who deserve it.”
Article 22, also sponsored by Benjamin, would provide further relief by automatically increasing the income and asset limits for senior tax exemptions each year based on the Consumer Price Index.
If approved, these limits would automatically increase each year based on the cost of living increase from the previous year.”
For example, if the cost of living goes up by 7%, the asset limit would rise to $42,800 for singles and $53,500 for couples, and the income limit to $21,400 for singles and $32,100 for couples.
This change would help ensure that as prices rise, the tax exemption keeps helping seniors afford their homes.
Doran is thrilled at the prospect of the tax work-off credit increasing. “The extra money will make a real difference,” she said, “and a few more hours of work is no problem. I’ll keep showing up as long as they need me.”
The Finance Committee has recommended adoption of the measures, which aim to help seniors age in place amid rising costs.
“We have a lot of long-time residents on fixed incomes who are really struggling to keep up with inflation and stay in their homes,” Hooper said.
