Golf-tee inventor George F. Grant in 1870 photo

Arlington’s tax rate is rising 18 cents in fiscal 2025 after two years of declines, but how does that increase affect homeowners?

The dollar impact on the town taxpayer owning a single-family home is expected to be $11,600, up from $10,751 in 2024, or an increase of $849.

The chart on page 7 of the tax-presentation booklet shows significantly higher numbers in neighbors Belmont, Winchester and Lexington.

The Select Board Nov. 18 spent nearly 45 minutes discussing the property tax classification and asking questions before voting unanimously to support a residential factor of 1. That means each property class pays the same tax rate. No action was taken on a residential or small-business exemption.

The rate must be approved by the state Department of Revenue before it takes effect.

Dana Mann, town assessments’ director, explained each tax class for fiscal 2025 described in the 13-page booklet. He explained how assessors determine the levy total to be raised and the tax rate for the year.

“To calculate the tax rate, we take the total taxable value of the town, and we divide that into the amount we raised, which gives us a tax rate of $10.77,” he said. From that, assessors calculate the excess levy capacity, which will be $74,780 this year. Read about excess levy here >>

“Also new this year,” he said, “we have the senior means-tested exemption . . . but the effect of that exemption was to reduce the total residential value by the amount exempted.” He said it is shown on page one of the booklet.

Recognizing local golf tee inventor

Among the 10 agenda items discussed, the board established a day honoring the inventor of the golf tee, Dr. George F. Grant.

The board unanimously approved a proclamation recognizing Dec. 12, 2024, as Dr. George F. Grant Day in Arlington.

Grant was a son of freed slaves who invented the first golf tee on his property in Arlington Heights, the board’s proclamation says. He moved to Boston to become a dental assistant and graduated from the founding class at Harvard Dental School in 1870. He also was the first African American faculty member at Harvard.

The proclamation says, “The remarkable story of Dr. Grant’s life is not widely known to Arlington residents or elsewhere . . . . Dr. Grant’s story will be more widely told, especially on Dec. 12 each year. That Dr. Grant’s story can be inspirational to all who hear it.”

Ironically, under Arlington bylaws, golf is prohibited on Recreation Department property. See Section 6 >>

End-of-year budget report

The board unanimously moved for receipt of the town’s end-of-year budget report, presented by Comptroller Ida Cody.

The report, covers the town’s general funds — expenses and revenue, its enterprise funds and reports detail about all the nuances of the year-to-date budget report.

In other business, the board:

Approved Small Business Saturday to take place Nov. 30;
Approved minutes from the Oct. 21 board meeting;
Approved an annual request for free parking at the Russell Common and Railroad (Water Street) municipal parking lots on Nov. 30, Dec. 7, 14, 21 and 28, to help promote local holiday shopping;
Approved a request for a special (one-day) beer-and-wine license for a private event at Robbins Memorial Town Hall on Nov. 23;
Approved the appointment of Darcy Carr to the Council on Aging with a term to expire June 30;
Set dates for future 2025 Select Board meetings on Jan. 13, Jan. 27, Feb. 12, Feb. 24 and tentatively every Monday in March through the 31st.

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This news summary by freelance writer Jessie Castellano was published Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024.