Letter: The Problem With Yes Vote for Greylock School

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To the Editor:

I'll say it again and again, I think all the yay-sayers are missing the point of priorities in North Adams, why we moved to another town.

The brown water, the water breaks, sewage backing up in the streets, the constant flow of power outages, the huge potholes everywhere, closed roads/bridges, cement barricades left halfway in road passage ways for years, vegetation overgrowth throughout the roadsides, the multiple promises of attractions that never materialized, dilapidated buildings both city owned and privately left to rot, and on and on.

The major problem with your yes vote is no promises to fix any of these issues, just to spend more taxpayers' money, including mine when I support your local businesses with their passing on the tax burdens coming down the pike. This "average" $270 a year tax increase is only the beginning of all your increases yet to come! Because another new school is a tax liability that like the others that won't be kept up. No one will invest until they get this mess cleaned up.

Shawn Collins
Adams, Mass. 

 

 

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Adams Sets FY27 Tax Rates; Average Homeowner Bill Rises $130

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
ADAMS, Mass. — The owner of an average home in Adams can expect their property tax bill to increase by $130.51 this year, or about $65.26 per installment for the semi-annual schedule.
 
During Wednesday's meeting, the Select Board approved a 30 percent split shift for fiscal year 2027, which it has done for the last four years.
 
The commercial, industrial and personal property tax rate is $22.20 per $1,000, for a valuation of $940,00 that equates to a tax bill of $20,868, an increase of $648.60 from the prior year, said Town Assessor Paula Grover.
 
The residential tax rate is $16.08 per $1,000 of assessed value, an estimated annual tax bill of about $4,272. 
 
The average single-family home is valued at $265,700, an increase of $700 from the previous fiscal year. The increase is smaller than recent years, with valuation increases largely limited to homes that underwent renovations or other improvements.
 
The town saw substantial new growth this year, totaling $18,163,326, with the majority of that growth coming from personal property.
 
"A great new growth number for our town. So, that's great," Select Board Chair Jay Meczywor said. 
 
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