To the editor:
People, schools, safety, services, amenities, people. These are the ingredients of a thriving town, and it starts and ends with people. I would like to vote for the highest tier of tax increase to get our town back on track financially, for the reasons carefully explained in recent months in these pages. However, I would also like to know that we have a full understanding of the impact these taxes will have on our fixed income neighbors and other vulnerable residents of Marblehead. Marblehead has approximately 4,600 residents over 65 — roughly 22% of our population — and nearly half of senior households live below the Massachusetts median income. Many are asset-rich but cash-poor: long-time residents sitting on homes worth over a million dollars while living on fixed Social Security and pension income that has not kept pace with rising values. The numbers are real. Spread across Marblehead’s $9.89 billion tax base, the proposed override translates to these annual increases for a home at the median assessed value of $1,195,000: $9M override: +$1,087 per year — roughly $91 per month $12M override: +$1,446 per year — roughly $121 per month $15M override: +$1,816 per year — roughly $151 per month
For a retired couple on $65,000 a year, an extra $91 to $151 per month is not an abstraction. Our roughly 1,200 renter households face an additional risk — these increases will eventually pass through as higher rents for residents already spending over a third of their income on housing.
What many residents do not know is that meaningful relief already exists — and is dramatically underutilized. I would ask the Select Board to actively publicize these programs alongside any override vote:
The Massachusetts Circuit Breaker Tax Credit provides up to $2,590 annually for seniors 65+ whose property taxes exceed 10% of income. Extraordinarily underutilized.
The Clause 41A Tax Deferral Program allows qualifying seniors to defer property taxes entirely until the home is sold — paying nothing out of pocket while living there. Almost entirely unknown.
The Senior Property Tax Exemption reduces assessed value for qualifying seniors. Must be applied for annually at the Assessors Office. The Senior Work-Off Program allows seniors to earn up to $1,500 in property tax credits through volunteer town service. Worth expanding if not already at full capacity.
I would ask three things of our town leadership alongside this vote: actively publicize these programs so every eligible resident knows they exist; consider a locally administered hardship exemption for the lowest-income residents, funded by a modest set-aside from override revenue; and publish a clear analysis of the override’s impact by income tier, not just the average. A town that thrives is one where people of all incomes and circumstances can afford to stay. The override may be necessary. Let us make sure it is also humane.
Michael Golden
Birch Street
