SWAMPSCOTT — The Board of Assessors met Thursday to continue discussions on staffing hours and vote on real estate tax exemptions through the first months of 2026.
Board Chair Neil Sheehan and member Charlie Patsios were present, along with the Select Board Liaison MaryEllen Fletcher and Town Assessor Paul Plouffe.
For homeowners and businesses, the small office plays an outsized role. The assessor’s department processes and reviews exceptions and abatements and determines the value of personal and commercial property — decisions that ultimately shape property tax bills.
It was business as usual for the small but busy assessor’s office at Swampscott Town Hall. The department, Plouffe explained, is entirely part-time, with himself and Administrative Assistant Lisa Taylor handling day-to-day operations with the Board’s support and guidance. It’s not an easy task — running an entire governmental department on the strictly budgeted hours of two employees.
“What we have is a department that’s done a herculean task,” Patsios said.
Plouffe said the office would function best with one full-time assessor and two part-time assistants. As it is, the meeting opened with a discussion on increasing the paid hours of department staff, which will need to be approved by the town administrator.
The Board also discussed revitalizing the conversation around Town Hall regarding an investment in Nearmap, a technology company that provides high-resolution aerial imagery. The technology could be used by a number of departments, Plouffe thinks, but would be especially helpful for the assessors to track development and inspect properties digitally.
“Especially when you’re talking about such a small staff…it’s really about what [the assessor] is able to do from their desk,” Plouffe said.
In recent months, much of the department’s time has been spent concerning abatements — formal reductions of property tax for a specific fiscal year, and exemptions. The assessor’s office processes and renews tax exemptions annually for specific groups like religious organizations, disabled veterans, and blind residents.
Department staff noted that many calls, walk-ins, and filings had been concerning the Community Preservation Act, passed by Swampscott voters in November 2024. The 1.5% tax applies to all residential and commercial properties, with exemptions for the first $100,000 of property value — which is an automatic exemption — and for low-income households and qualifying seniors, who are required to submit documentation.
Board members noted that the number of abatements had not significantly increased from recent years, though there were many new exception forms approved and signed by committee members at the meeting.
