LYNN — A Senior Abatement program would give homeowners over 60 a chance to work off a portion of their property tax bill.
“There have been some requests for us to look into a program,” said Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy. “Revere has been doing it for a number of years, and we thought it would be a worthy endeavor to give seniors a break on their property tax.”
Kennedy’s Chief of Staff Jamie Cerulli headed up the committee that came up with the proposal. She called it a good plan. Eligible seniors will work at places such as the public library, the Grand Army of the Republic Museum or the senior center for minimum wage, which is $8 an hour in Massachusetts. But instead of a check they’ll get a tax break, Cerulli explained.
“It ends up being volunteering because they get paid in the form of a reduction to the property tax,” Kennedy said.
The reduction is capped at $600. Cerulli said they chose $600 because it wouldn’t affect “volunteers'” tax status.
Cerulli also said she cleared any potential jobs with the applicable unions.
“They won’t be doing anyone’s job or taking any open positions,” she said.
Homeowners will have to apply for the abatement. Eligible candidates must be a homeowner or the spouse of a homeowner, have lived in the city for a minimum of five years and meet certain income requirements. They must also submit to a background check and cannot be a city employee. City employees and their immediate family are ineligible for the program.
Cerulli said applications will be available starting Monday and can be picked up in the Mayor’s office or the Assessor’s Office in City Hall or found on the city’s website.
She cautioned, however, that the program is not a done deal, it still faces approval by the City Council’s Ordinance Committee and the council as a whole. Cerulli said the proposal was filed with the council in December and is scheduled to be heard on Jan. 22 but she is still putting the applications out there.
“I would like to have people working by February 1, and we still have to run CORIs and check their taxes,” Cerulli said. “It will take some time.”
She also said she is confident the measure will be approved.
“A lot of other cities and towns have this and think it’s a good thing,” she said. “People have asked for it and (Friday) they’re asking like crazy.”
Chris Stevens can be reached at [email protected].
