HomeMy Public PortalAbout20091208 - Board of Assessors - Meeting MinutesTown of Hopkinton
Board of Assessors Minutes of Meeting held December 8, 2009
A regular meeting of the Board of Assessors was held on December 8, 2009 in the first
floor conference room at the Town Hall. A Notice of Meeting was duly posted. The meeting commenced at 5:30 p.m. In attendance were John Duffy and John Palmer, a majority of the members of the Board. John Duffy presided and John Palmer kept the
minutes. Also in attendance were Robert Bushway, Principal Assessor, Norman
Khumalo, Town Manager, Maureen Dwinnell, Treasurer and Collector, Heidi Kriger,
Finance Director, and Mary Rose DeGroot, Human Resources Director. Mr. Khumalo presented a preliminary concept for consolidation of the finance-related
departments located in the Town Hall. Mr. Khumalo stated that the concept is a
collaborative undertaking, designed to improve services, identify efficiencies, and to
contain costs. He solicited comments from the Board. The plan, as pertinent to the Assessors Office, is to reduce staff hours for the Deputy Assessor position by 8 hours/week; to cross train the Administrative Assistant, to reconfigure and combine the
areas of the Assessors and Treasurer/Collector’s offices to achieve better service at lower
cost, and to fund the purchase of “Web-Pro” software. Mr. Khumalo also outlined staff
hour reductions or staff changes in the Offices of the Treasurer/Collector, Town Clerk, Town Manager and Human Resources. He indicated that, before implementation, another meeting will be held at which interested parties could provide further comment.
Mr. Khumalo and Ms Dwinnell, Kriger, and DeGroot left the meeting at 6:15 pm.
The minutes of the regular meetings of November 16 and 24, 2009 and the emergency meeting of November 23, 2009 were approved.
The Board reviewed and signed a Bills Payable Warrant in the amount of $132.00.
The Board reviewed and signed the Monthly Report of Abatements and Exemptions for November, 2009. Abatements totaled $1,754.38.
The Board reviewed and signed a commitment and warrants for property taxes, tax
surcharge, various assessments, liens, and interest charges for FY 2010. A complete list
of the taxes, etc. committed is attached to and made part of these minutes. The Board discussed the FY 2011 departmental budget for the Assessors’ office.
Finalization of the budget is expected at the next meeting.
The Board reviewed, approved or denied, and signed the following applications for
statutory exemption for FY 2010:
Cl. 22a-e, Veterans – 0 approvals, 1 denial Cl. 17d, Surviving Spouse – 1 approval, 1 denial of previous approval
Cl. 41c, Elderly – 0 approvals, 1 denial of previous approval
CPA surcharge – 4 approvals, 0 denials
The next meeting was scheduled for December 22, 2009 at 5:30 p.m.
The meeting adjourned at 7:25 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
John Palmer, Clerk