ADAMS, Mass. — The Board of Assessors is seeking to adjust the eligibility criteria for its senior citizen property tax exemption following a substantial decline in recipients. 

 

The town currently grants a $500 property tax exemption to seniors aged 70-plus, own a home, and have a total gross assets of 13,000 or below for a single resident or $15,000 or below for a married couple. 

 

These current limits do not reflect financial need. In recent years, the town has seen a sharp decline in the number of residents qualifying for the exemption, largely due to increases in Social Security benefits pushing applicants above eligibility thresholds, said Paula Grover, principal assessor.

 

In fiscal year 2022, 30 exemptions were granted, while fiscal year 2026 only had six. 

 

"That's pretty sad. We want to help as many seniors as we can," Grover said. 

 

The board is proposing amending this to $18,000, or less, for single residents and $22,500, or less, for a married couple. The amendment would have to pass at a town meeting. 

 

The exemption is fully reimbursed by the state, so adjusting the eligibility does not come out of the town's levy or raise the tax rate. 

 

"It's a win-win. It's sad when you sit there in the assessor's office and you have to write somebody a letter to say, ‘sorry you're poor, but you're not poor enough,' because that's pretty much what we're telling them," Grover said.

 

"$13,000 is not a lot of money. So, we're hoping that raising these to the amounts that we have recommended is going to bring our numbers back up."

 

Selectman Jay Meczywor said this change seems like a known brainer, especially since it does not impact the town's levy or raise the tax rate.

 

"This is just getting us up to the times, unfortunately, right now," he said. 

 

Surrounding towns including Cheshire and Williamstown made similar changes. Now, Adams is "trying to play catch up," Grover said. 

 

The Board of Assessors will work with the town administrator and town counsel to draft and finalize the legal language for a warrant article. 

 

The board's hope is once this gets back they can come back to propose additional amendments to improve the program's accessibility — such as tying eligibility limits to cost-of-living adjustments (so they rise alongside COLA increases) and lowering the age requirement from 70 to 65, Grover said.