Swansea public meetings in 2020
12 substantive meetings from 2020, with official agendas or minutes and plain-English summaries.
Board Of Assessors
The Swansea Board of Assessors is meeting to approve the tax rate, review Chapter land applications, and conduct RRC inspections. The board will also hold an executive session to discuss abatements, exemptions, and Appellate Tax Board matters. The agenda is largely routine administrative business, with no major public policy decisions expected.
- Tax rate approval
- RRC inspections
- Chapter land applications
- Executive session on abatements & exemptions
- Executive session on ATB matters
Joint Meeting - No Quorum
The Swansea Board of Assessors is holding a joint public hearing with the Board of Selectmen to discuss the FY2021 tax classification. Due to COVID-19, the meeting is closed to the public but will be broadcast live, with the hearing conducted via Zoom. The agenda includes only this hearing and a motion to adjourn.
- Public hearing on FY2021 tax classification
- Joint meeting with Board of Selectmen
- Meeting broadcast on Comcast Channel 15 and Facebook
- Zoom participation available
Joint Meeting - No Quorum
The Swansea Board of Assessors is holding a joint public hearing with the Board of Selectmen to discuss the FY2021 tax classification. Due to COVID-19, the meeting is closed to the public but will be broadcast live, and the hearing will be conducted via Zoom. The agenda includes only this hearing and a motion to adjourn.
- Public hearing on FY2021 tax classification
- Joint meeting with Board of Selectmen
- Meeting closed to public due to COVID-19, broadcast on Channel 15 and online
- Zoom participation available with dial-in and meeting ID
Board Of Assessors
The Board of Assessors will discuss and vote on alleged open meeting violations received from Patrick Higgins, and discuss tax rate classification, abatements, and exemptions. The board will also review Appellate Tax Board cases in closed session. The agenda includes routine items like meeting minutes and vouchers.
- Discussion and vote on alleged open meeting violations received 9/15/20 and 10/14/20
- Tax rate classification discussion
- Discussion of abatements and exemptions applications
- Review of Appellate Tax Board cases (closed session)
- Meeting minutes approval for 9/23/20 and 10/14/20
Board Of Assessors
The Board of Assessors voted unanimously to request that the Building Department include the Assessors on the certificate of occupancy sign-off process, following a duplicate address issue on Highland Road. They also approved multiple resident exemptions, including senior, veteran, and blind exemptions, and moved into executive session to discuss property values.
- Approved request to Building Department to add Assessors to certificate of occupancy sign-off (unanimous)
- Approved 1 senior exemption (Clause 41C) (unanimous)
- Approved 59 veteran exemptions (Clause 22) (unanimous)
- Approved 3 veteran exemptions (Clause 22D) (unanimous)
- Approved 28 veteran exemptions (Clause 22E) (unanimous)
- Approved 2 blind exemptions (Clause 37) (unanimous)
- Moved to executive session (unanimous)
Board Of Assessors
The Swansea Board of Assessors met on July 15, 2020, and approved the regular and executive session minutes from May 13, 2020. The Board voted unanimously to keep its current officer positions (Chairman, Vice Chairman, Clerk) unchanged until November 18, 2020. All appropriate vouchers and documents were signed. The Board also discussed ongoing property inspections, office operations during the COVID-19 closure, and upcoming interim revaluations, then moved into executive session.
- Approved regular minutes of May 13, 2020 (majority vote)
- Approved executive session minutes of May 13, 2020 (majority vote, one abstention)
- Signed all appropriate vouchers and documents
- Voted unanimously to keep Board officer positions as-is until November 18, 2020
- Moved into executive session to discuss real property values and Chapter Land (unanimous)
Board Of Assessors
The Swansea Board of Assessors held a routine meeting, approving prior meeting minutes and signing vouchers. Principal Assessor Thomas Welch reported he will present the Assessor's Budget to the Selectman and Finance Committee on March 24-25, noting additional funding from the Water District would support inspections. The board discussed ongoing map splits and supplemental bills, then voted to enter executive session and did not return to regular session.
- Approved regular minutes of February 12, 2020 (motion by Cabral, seconded by Gray)
- Approved executive session minutes of February 12, 2020 (motion by Cabral, seconded by Gray)
- Approved regular minutes of February 19, 2020 (motion by Cabral, seconded by Gray)
- Approved executive session minutes of February 19, 2020 (motion by Cabral, seconded by Gray)
- Signed all appropriate vouchers and documents
- Voted to enter executive session at 5:32 P.M. (motion by Cabral, seconded by Gray; roll call: Cabral aye, Gray aye)
Board Of Assessors
The Board of Assessors approved a unanimous motion granting Liberty Utilities an extension to file their form of list until April 30, 2020. They also discussed an oversight where the Assessor's article was missing from the Annual Town Meeting warrant, which will be added. Personal property inspections are scheduled to begin February 24, 2020. No other substantive decisions were made; minutes from February 12 were deferred.
- Approved Liberty Utilities extension to April 30, 2020 (unanimous)
- Deferred approval of February 12, 2020 minutes
- Noted Assessor's article missing from Town Meeting warrant; to be added
Board Of Assessors
The Board approved the office budget with no changes and agreed to have Principal Assessor Thomas Welch write a letter to the Water District explaining a $4,000 increase. They also discussed the need for an RFP for 2022-2024 certification/consulting services, including a 5-year certification and personal property certification. The Board then moved into executive session and did not return to regular session.
- Approved FY2021 office budget with no changes
- Agreed to send letter to Water District explaining $4,000 budget increase
- Discussed RFP for 2022-2024 certification/consulting services
- Approved regular and executive session minutes of January 29, 2020 (majority, one abstain)
- Moved into executive session at 5:09 P.M. (majority, roll call: Cabral aye, Gray aye)
Board Of Assessors
The Swansea Board of Assessors approved an amendment to the FY 2021 Office Budget, restoring the mileage account to $2,100 after it had been lowered to $1,000. The board also signed vouchers, approved the regular and executive session minutes of January 22, 2020, and discussed software training and GIS mapping updates. The board then voted to enter executive session and did not return to regular session.
- Approved FY21 mileage account budget amendment to $2,100 (motion by Silvia, seconded by Gray, majority vote)
- Signed all appropriate vouchers and documents
- Approved regular minutes of January 22, 2020 (motion by Silvia, seconded by Gray, majority vote)
- Approved executive session minutes of January 22, 2020 (motion by Silvia, seconded by Gray, majority vote)
- Voted to enter executive session at 5:14 P.M. (motion by Silvia, seconded by Gray, majority vote; no return to regular session)
Board Of Assessors
The Board of Assessors approved a $20,000 Fiscal Year 2021 Water District budget request, up from $16,000 in FY 2020, with funds allocated for the principal assessor, three assessors, expenses, and cyclical data collection. The board also approved the FY 2021 office budget, which is $4,000 more than last year, including a 2.5% employee increase, reduced mileage, and higher software and website costs. Minutes from January 8, 2020 (regular and executive) were accepted with one abstention each. The board then moved into executive session at 5:11 P.M. and did not return to regular session.
- Approved FY 2021 Water District budget request of $20,000 (unanimous)
- Approved FY 2021 proposed office budget (unanimous)
- Accepted regular minutes of January 8, 2020 (majority, one abstain)
- Accepted executive session minutes of January 8, 2020 (majority, one abstain)
- Signed all appropriate vouchers and documents
- Moved into executive session at 5:11 P.M. (unanimous)
Board Of Assessors
The Board of Assessors approved the final abatement for the Douglass Property off Sharps Lot Road, covering 8 of 58 lots that were incorrectly billed as 6 lots instead of Chapter Land. The board also signed all vouchers and approved minutes from September 25 and December 18, 2019. They discussed software upgrades, received 8 abatement applications, and voted to enter executive session without returning to regular session.
- Approved final abatement for Douglass Property (8 of 58 lots) off Sharps Lot Road
- Signed all appropriate vouchers and documents
- Approved regular minutes of September 25, 2019 as presented
- Approved regular minutes of December 18, 2019 as presented
- Voted to enter executive session at 5:20 P.M. and not return to regular session