HomeMy Public PortalAbout2020-01-14 Pub Forum Council Statement - PerkinsLet me start by saying that the Town Council, the Town Administration, and
the residents of Watertown are very proud of the important, internationally
renowned work done by Perkins School for the Blind, and we are very
proud that Perkins has called Watertown home for more than one hundred
years.
Unfortunately, in 2019, Perkins failed to make the required filing to maintain
their exemption from property tax, and as a result, Perkins was issued a tax
bill by the board of assessors for the assessed value of their property for
Fiscal Year 2020.
State law specifies the requirements for submitting the tax exemption form
or requesting an extension for doing so. In September 2019, the Town
Assessor and attorney met with Perkins representatives to discuss a
potential resolution.
Since the September meeting, no one from Perkins has scheduled a follow
up meeting with Watertown staff to continue discussions. I can assure
everyone that Watertown's Assessor and attorney remain ready and willing
to meet with Perkins. While this is a matter within the purview of the Board
of Assessors, into which the Town Council may not intrude, we certainly
encourage Perkin's to schedule a meeting as soon as possible to discuss
potential remedies to what we all agree is an unfortunate situation.