Like almost everything related to taxes, senior property tax relief is a complicated issue. There’s no question that the town has a strong vested interest in maintaining a vibrant community of older residents. They are the backbone of this community, serving as volunteers in every capacity from the Board of Selectmen to the Fire Department to a wide range of boards, committees, and community organizations. Their energy, perspective, and collective experience is invaluable—and irreplaceable. And in a practical sense, their real estate tax payments anchor the town budget, supporting the schools without contributing students.
But many longtime residents are feeling besieged by the rising cost of living in Harvard, and particularly by their real estate taxes. This feeling has a new urgency with the prospect of building a new elementary school, but some elders already face painful choices when the tax bills come. In this week’s edition, we report on several programs designed to help qualified seniors pay their taxes, including a new proposal that will be on the Annual Town Meeting warrant in May.
That proposal is based on programs already instituted in several nearby towns, including Concord and Sudbury. As presented to the selectmen at their meeting Tuesday night, it still has some details to be worked out. If implemented, it would ease the tax burden on a relatively small group of seniors, and shift the burden slightly to the rest of the taxpayers. The selectmen’s discussion raised important issues about fairness and process and acknowledged that some young families are struggling, too.
But despite their stated reservations, the selectmen’s decision to put the proposal to a town meeting vote was the right one. The proposal can be thoroughly vetted and tweaked as necessary in the next couple of months. This is an important issue for the entire town, not just those who would benefit the most.
