The Arlington Select Board on Monday, Oct. 21, discussed 16 town matters, voting in favor of new level of tax exemption for senior citizens and paving the way to extend the contract for Bluebikes.
Chair Stephen DeCourcey led the 90-minute hybrid meeting with board members Lenard Diggins, John Hurd and Eric Helmuth. Vice-Chair Diane Mahon was not present.
The board heard a presentation about means-tested property-tax exemptions for senior citizens led by Dana Mann, director of assessments.
“Means Tested is a term that indicates an exemption or program’s qualifications include meeting some financial tests,” wrote Dana Mann, in an email to YourArlington. “For example, in this case to qualify for the senior means-tested exemption one of the tests is that an individual’s yearly income must be less than $69,000.”
The exemption goes back to 2019, when Town Meeting approved one for seniors.
“It needed approval for a home-rule petition at the Legislature,” explained DeCourcey. Last November, when the town held an override vote, the exemption was Question 2, which voters approved by nearly 85 percent.
The exemption is modeled after the state circuit-breaker tax credit — any senior citizen who is 65 or older by Dec. 31 of the tax year may be eligible to claim a refundable credit. The board is authorized to choose a percentage by the act allowing for the exemption. It must choose within a range of 50 percent and 200 percent of the tax credit.
In a unanimous vote, the board decided to move approval at 50 percent, which would make the average exemption this year approximately $1,153 per individual.
A future for Bluebikes
The Select Board heard a request from senior transportation planner John Alessi, who requested that the board authorize a future contract with the operator of Bluebikes, the public bike-share program in the metro Boston, for a period exceeding three years.
“It is the intention of the Bluebikes municipalities to enter into a five-year contract with two, two-year options to renew with the future operator,” wrote Alessi in a memorandum to the Select Board, adding that it will encourage a higher level of service and help secure more funding.
The board unanimously approved to authorize the request for Alessi to move forward with this five-year contract with Lyft. The town’s contract with Lyft, the operator of Bluebikes, is to expire in early 2026.
Identification, removal of lead
The Select Board heard a presentation regarding the lead service-line inventory by Mike Rademacher, director of public works. He also spoke about the work that the town has been doing to identify and remove lead since 2015.
“In 2021, the EPA announced revisions to their lead program, which would require in the coming years all communities in the country to submit an inventory of their water service lines in their corresponding state,” said Rademacher. “Prior to 2021, the town had been doing a significant amount of work already to identify what our service lines are and how much lead is in our system.”
The DPW identified 69 possible lead service lines in the system and as of last spring, all but two have been removed or replaced. In 2024, a review identified 24 more possible locations.
On Oct. 16, an initial initial inventory of water-service lines was sent to MassDEP and made available to the public. On Nov. 15, notifications will be mailed to owners and renters of properties where service lines have been identified as potentially containing lead or needing replacement. In October 2027, the baseline inventory will determine future work to remove lead. Further in October 2037, all lead in pipes is expected to be removed.
In other business, the board:
- Approved a common victualler license for Northender Italian Kitchen, at 1345 Mass. Ave.;
- Discussed and approved the town manager evaluation process, which began with a narrative self-evaluation letter provided Oct. 21 and then board members needed to complete the evaluation and transmit it to the chair and last, the chair and resources director would create one comprehensive evaluation document, for discussion Dec. 4;
- Approved a special (one-day) beer-and-wine license for The Mill Cafe after-hours events on Nov. 11 and Dec. 20;
- Approved minutes of Select Board meetings that took place on Sept. 23 and Oct. 7;
- Approved the reappointments of Roger Dupont, Elaine Hoffman and Venket Holi to the Zoning Board of Appeals, with terms to expire Oct. 31, 2027;
- Approved a request for a contractor/drainlayer license to the Italian Touch Inc.;
- Approved Arlington Open Studios’ lawn signs through Nov. 9;
- Approved (3-0, with DeCourcey recused himself because of work he does with National Grid) and conducted a public hearing for a National Grid Petition considering the grant of location for a new installation of a plastic pipe gas main on Oakland Ave.;
- Approved the appointment of Anne Thomson to the Arlington Commission of Arts and Culture, with a term to expire on June 30, 2027;
- Unanimously motioned for receipt and referral to the town manager for agenda item 14 regarding a safety light at Brackett Elementary School;
- Received correspondence regarding special speed regulation #2084-A at Broadway and special speed regulation #770-A at Park Avenue and Park Avenue Extension. The next scheduled meeting of the board is Monday, Nov. 4.
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This news summary by freelance writer Jessie Castellano was published Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024.
