For residents over the age of 60, working for the town to receive a reduction in property taxes just became a little more attractive.
At its Dec. 20 meeting, the Select Board voted unanimously to increase the senior tax work-off program’s hourly rate from $8 to $12 and its maximum tax bill reduction from $1,000 a year to $1,500 a year. The increases go into effect Jan. 1, 2023.
The program is available to anyone who was at least 60 years old as of July 1, 2022, and who has owned a primary residence in Harvard for a minimum of one year before that date. Council on Aging Director Debbie Thompson, who manages the program, said applicants typically perform tasks like data entry, serving lunches at the COA, or helping keep order in the library during the after-school influx of kids. Some jobs, particularly those available in Town Hall, may require specific technical skills, she said.
Assistant Town Administrator Marie Sobalvarro presented the case for the higher rate and tax reduction limit, saying there has been a decline in the number of applicants over the past few years. Thompson told the Press part of that was pandemic-related, but applications had fallen off even prior to 2020. “People weren’t happy with $8 an hour,” she said, and added that the rate had not increased during the 11 years she’s been managing the program. Sobalvarro said the new hourly rate and tax reduction limit are more in line with other towns in the area.
Tax work-off jobs for each calendar year begin the first day of January, and hours must be completed by Nov. 30. The maximum number of hours is 125 per year, which would earn the maximum tax reduction. Hours cannot be carried over to the next calendar year. Hours worked in 2023 will be applied to fiscal 2024 third- and fourth-quarter property tax bills.
Funds to support the tax work-off program and other tax abatements are built into the annual tax rate, Sobalvarro told the Press. Currently, the tax abatement account is limited to $10,000 each year, but Sobalvarro asked the board to increase the upper limit on that account to $12,000 in anticipation of an increase in tax write-off applicants for next year.
Applications are available on the town website now and are due Jan. 30. Only one abatement is allowed per property; spouses of eligible residents may apply even if they do not meet the age requirement. Employees of the town of Harvard are not eligible for the program. Links to the program guidelines and application are available at harvard-ma.gov/council-aging/pages/senior-tax-work-program.
