Swansea public meetings in 2023

Board Of Assessors

The Board of Assessors will meet to conduct a tax rate classification meeting. The session also includes the review of previous meeting minutes and the signing of vouchers and payroll.

• Tax rate classification meeting

The Board of Assessors approved the minutes of prior meetings and discussed the new tax rate classification set by the Selectmen: residential rate of $11.04, commercial/industrial rate of $17.43, and Water District rate of $0.95. The board also reviewed three pending ATB cases, budget status, and upcoming deadlines for Chapter Land and elderly/veterans exemptions. No substantive votes were taken beyond approving minutes.

• Approved minutes of 09/27/23 (2-0)
• Approved minutes of 11/14/23 (2-0)
• Noted new tax rates: residential $11.04, commercial/industrial $17.43, Water District $0.95 (reported, not voted)
• Discussed three ATB cases with no evidence of incorrect assessments (no action taken)
• Noted budget is high due to vehicle and toner costs (no action taken)
• Discussed Chapter Land deadline and 20% non-returned applications (no action taken)
• Noted elderly/veterans exemption deadline of April 1 (no action taken)
• Adjourned at 5:45 PM (2-0)

Board Of Assessors

The Board of Assessors will meet to review meeting minutes and sign vouchers. The primary item of new business is a request to release Water District Overlay funds totaling $214,200.19.

• Request to release Water District Overlay funds: FY2015 ($56,215.94), FY2016 ($79,213.86), and FY2017 ($87,770.39) for a total of $214,200.19

The Board of Assessors voted 3-0 to approve the release of $214,200.19 from the Water District Overlay Account for fiscal years 2015-2017. The board also approved the minutes from the August 22, 2023 meeting. The Principal Assessor reported that the Tax Rate Classification meeting information was delayed and will be ready for the November 28 meeting.

• Approved $214,200.19 Water District Overlay Account release (3-0)
• Approved revised August 22, 2023 meeting minutes (3-0)
• Adjourned meeting at 5:35pm (3-0)

Board Of Assessors

The Board of Assessors will meet to review meeting minutes and sign payroll. The board is scheduled to discuss the enforcement of Chapter Land application deadlines and a tax rate classification meeting with Selectmen on November 14.

• Chapter Land application deadline enforcement
• Tax rate classification meeting with Selectmen on November 14
• Review of meeting minutes from 8/2/2023 and 8/23/2023

The Board of Assessors met on November 1, 2023, and continued approval of the August 2 and August 23 meeting minutes to the next meeting due to absent members. They discussed strict enforcement of Chapter 61 property filing deadlines and reviewed the upcoming Tax Rate Classification Meeting with Selectmen on November 14. No final decisions were made on these items; the meeting was largely procedural and informational.

• Continued approval of 08/02/23 & 08/23/23 minutes to next meeting (2-0)
• Adjourned meeting at approximately 5:30pm (2-0)

Regular Meeting - No Quorum

The Swansea Board of Assessors is holding a regular meeting with a routine agenda: reviewing minutes, signing vouchers/payroll, and receiving an assessor's report. The agenda notes 'No Quorum' in the title, suggesting the board may not have enough members present to take official votes. No public hearings or major decisions are listed.

• Review of meeting minutes from 8/2/2023 and 8/23/2023
• Signing of vouchers and payroll
• Assessor's report under New Business
• Possible executive session at end of meeting

The Swansea Board of Assessors met on September 27, 2023, but lacked a quorum, so no official business was conducted. Chairman Timothy Cabral called the meeting to order at 5:35 PM and adjourned it at 5:37 PM. No decisions were made.

Board Of Assessors

The Board of Assessors is meeting to review the minutes from August 2, 2023, and to discuss new business, including a request from the Board of Selectmen to transfer $1.5 million from the overlay account. The assessor's report is also on the agenda. Other business may be discussed but not voted on, and the meeting may go into executive session.

• Request to transfer $1.5 million from the overlay account
• Assessor's report
• Review of meeting minutes from 8/2/2023
• Sign vouchers/payroll
• Possible executive session

The Board of Assessors voted unanimously (2-0) to transfer $1.5 million from the Overlay Account to the Town for capital improvement projects. They also discussed pending Appellate Tax Board cases, a request to purchase a new digital camera, and the need to establish rules for financial hardship exemptions. No action was taken on the August 2 meeting minutes or future meeting schedule.

• Approved $1.5M transfer from Overlay Account to Town for capital improvements (2-0)
• Discussed but did not vote on August 2, 2023 meeting minutes
• Discussed but did not vote on purchasing a new digital camera
• Discussed but did not vote on establishing rules for financial hardship exemptions

Board Of Assessors

The Swansea Board of Assessors is meeting to review minutes, sign vouchers, and conduct new business, including interviewing James Sullivan of Glocester, RI, for the deputy assessor position. The agenda is otherwise routine, with no communications received and no votes expected on other business.

• Interview James Sullivan, Glocester, RI, for deputy assessor
• Review meeting minutes from 7/19/2023
• Sign vouchers/payroll
• Discuss future meeting schedule

The Board voted unanimously to hire James Sullivan of Glocester, RI as Deputy Assessor, allowing property inspections to be done in-house. They also approved an abatement for Richard and Kelly Soares at 21 Delmage Road after reconsideration due to extenuating circumstances. Minutes from July 19 were deferred.

• Hired James Sullivan as Deputy Assessor (unanimous)
• Approved abatement for 21 Delmage Road (unanimous)
• Deferred approval of July 19 meeting minutes
• Signed all vouchers/payroll and documents

Board Of Assessors

The Swansea Board of Assessors is meeting to handle routine administrative items: approving meeting minutes from May 2023, signing vouchers and payroll, and receiving the assessor's report. No votes on substantive policy or property matters are listed, and no executive session is planned.

• Review of meeting minutes from 5/10/2023 and 5/24/2023
• Signing of vouchers and payroll
• Assessor's report under new business

The Swansea Board of Assessors met on July 19, 2023, and approved regular and executive session minutes from May 10 and May 24, 2023, all unanimously. Principal Assessor Minardi reported that the ATB denied a case for 57 Emelia Court (DaCosta) and that Gator Properties withdrew three ATB applications. The board also discussed rounding assessments to the nearest thousand dollars and ongoing administrative tasks such as entering building permits, scanning documents, and hiring a Deputy Assessor.

• Approved regular session minutes of May 10, 2023 (unanimous)
• Approved and released executive session minutes of May 10, 2023 (unanimous)
• Approved regular session minutes of May 24, 2023 (unanimous)
• Signed all appropriate vouchers, payroll, and documents
• ATB denied case for 57 Emelia Court (DaCosta)
• Gator Properties withdrew three ATB applications
• Discussed rounding assessments to nearest thousand dollars (no vote recorded)
• Authorized ad for Deputy Assessor position (four interviews scheduled)

Cancelled Meeting

This is a cancelled meeting notice for the Swansea Board of Assessors, originally scheduled for June 7, 2023. The agenda was posted but the meeting did not take place. No decisions or discussions occurred.

• Meeting cancelled
• Originally scheduled for June 7, 2023 at 5:30 PM
• Location: School Administration Building, 1 Gardner's Neck Road
• Agenda included assessor's report and potential executive session on abatements

Board Of Assessors

The Swansea Board of Assessors approved the budget including a new position, signed vouchers and payroll, and discussed several property assessment matters. They denied an abatement for Rosemarie Alvarnas and noted that an abatement for Richard and Kelly Soares was too late to apply. The board also addressed office reorganization and the purchase of desktop scanners.

• Approved budget with new position
• Signed all appropriate vouchers/payroll and documents
• Denied abatement for Rosemarie Alvarnas, 19 Willow Circle
• Noted abatement for Richard and Kelly Soares, 21 Delmage Road, was too late to apply; card adjusted for future
• Advised emailing Town Administrator about invoicing Water District for necessary scanners
• Approved regular session minutes of May 10, 2023

Board Of Assessors

The Swansea Board of Assessors is meeting to handle routine administrative business, including approving meeting minutes and vouchers. They will also discuss updates on property record scanning, a deputy assessor update, boat excise commitments, and property splits/mergers. The agenda is largely procedural, with no major policy decisions listed.

• Update on scanning by New England Archives
• Deputy assessor update (A&F 6-5 vote)
• Boat excise commitment
• Property splits and mergers
• Communication from Bruce Stavitsky, Gator Properties

The Swansea Board of Assessors approved regular and executive session minutes from April 5, 19, and 26, 2023, with some abstentions. They signed all vouchers and payroll, and discussed updates on scanning, a Deputy Assessor position (A&F voted 6-5 in favor), and a boat excise tax commitment of about $10,000. In executive session, they voted to change the unit price on a land line at 1788 GAR Highway from $200,700 to $25,000 per acre.

• Approved regular session minutes of April 5, 2023 (unanimous)
• Approved and released executive session minutes of April 5, 2023 (unanimous)
• Approved regular session minutes of April 19, 2023 (majority, Gray abstained)
• Approved and released executive session minutes of April 19, 2023 (majority, Gray abstained)
• Approved regular session minutes of April 26, 2023 (unanimous)
• Approved and released executive session minutes of April 26, 2023 (unanimous)
• Signed all vouchers and payroll (unanimous)
• Changed unit price on 1788 GAR Highway land line from $200,700/acre to $25,000/acre (unanimous)

Board Of Assessors

The Swansea Board of Assessors is meeting to review meeting minutes from April 5, 2023, sign vouchers and payroll, and discuss new business including a discussion with the Advisory & Finance Board about the town annual report. The agenda also includes communications, future meeting schedule, and a possible executive session. No specific votes or decisions are listed on the agenda.

• Review of 4/5/2023 meeting minutes
• Sign vouchers and payroll
• Advisory & Finance Board discussion on town annual report
• Discussion of future meeting schedule
• Possible executive session

The Board unanimously accepted the drafted Annual Report and processed several tax abatement and senior exemption applications. Decisions included granting abatements for multiple residential and commercial properties while denying others.

• Approved Town Annual Report (Unanimous)
• Abated application WD #4 and #41 for KTT LLC at 0 Baker Road (Majority, Chairman recused)
• Approved senior exemption for Carol Lopes at 47 Hornet Road (Unanimous)
• Denied senior exemption for Carol Raush at 609 Warren Ave (Unanimous)
• Abated application #44 for Bette Enos Costa at 612 Warren Ave (Unanimous)
• Abated applications #47, #52, #53, #54, and #59 (Unanimous)
• Denied applications #55, #56, #57, #58, #60, #61, #62, and #63 (Unanimous)
• Deferred meeting minutes of April 5, 2023

Board Of Assessors

The Board of Assessors is meeting to approve minutes from prior sessions, sign vouchers/payroll, and discuss new business including an upcoming Advisory & Finance meeting. The agenda is largely procedural, with no major policy decisions or public hearings listed.

• Approve meeting minutes from 3/22/2023 and 3/29/2023
• Sign vouchers/payroll
• Discuss Advisory & Finance meeting on April 12 at 7:30 PM
• Other business may be discussed but not voted on

The Board of Assessors approved several tax abatements based on property condition and financial hardship. Three applications for Gator Swansea Property were denied due to active litigation with the town. The board also approved the meeting minutes from March 22, 2023.

• Approved FY23 financial hardship application for Kevin Nunes (unanimous)
• Approved abatement for John and Anne Marie Motta to average condition and 10% site value reduction (unanimous)
• Granted continuance for application #30 at 1788 GAR Highway (majority vote, 1 abstain)
• Denied applications #31, #32, and #33 for Gator Swansea Property due to active litigation (unanimous)
• Denied abatement application #34 for Christopher and Kristin Kennedy (unanimous)
• Approved abatement for Swansea Bowlaway, Inc. reducing condition to fair and external obsolescence to 30% (unanimous)
• Approved abatement for Russell J. Castonguay to a value of $25,000 (unanimous)
• Approved regular and executive session minutes from March 22, 2023 (unanimous)

Board Of Assessors

The Board of Assessors approved several water district and property tax abatement applications while denying others. The board also approved meeting minutes from March 8, 2023, and signed payroll and vouchers.

• Approved Water District abatements for Barbara Vieira, Bertha Costa, and 433 Purchase Street Solar NG, LLC (unanimous)
• Approved abatement for Peter Carvara to a value of $133,000 (unanimous)
• Denied abatement applications for Katleem Wagner, Armanua and Lorena Dauteuil (two applications), and Richard and Kelly Soares (unanimous)
• Approved abatements for Timothy Levesque, Tiago and Edna Silva, Giovanni and Melinda Pimentel, and Michael and Dawn Langton (unanimous)
• Approved abatement for Jeremy Colton and Madeline McGreavy to an approximate value of $430,000 (unanimous)
• Approved regular and executive session minutes from March 8, 2023 (unanimous)
• Deferred meeting minutes from March 22, 2023

Board Of Assessors

The Swansea Board of Assessors is meeting to handle routine business including approving minutes, signing vouchers, and reviewing the abatement count. They will also discuss a tax exemption request for a property at 214 Kispert Court and review ethics training status.

• Discussion of taxation and exemptions for Yousri K. Fam, 214 Kispert Court
• Ethics training status update
• Abatement count update
• Approval of outstanding minutes
• Sign vouchers/payroll

The Board of Assessors reviewed seven abatement applications, approving three and denying four. The Board also agreed that an appraisal for Gator Properties is necessary, pending budget identification.

• Denied abatement application #13 (107 Marvel Street) (unanimous)
• Denied abatement application #14 (101 Marvel Street) (unanimous)
• Approved abatement application #15 (31 Keller Street) to approx. $85,000 (unanimous)
• Denied abatement application #16 (110 GAR Highway) (unanimous)
• Denied abatement application #17 (40 Clancy Street) (unanimous)
• Approved abatement application #18 (92 Louis Street) to approx. $450,000-$460,000 (unanimous)
• Approved abatement application #19 (81 Tanglewood Dr.) by adjusting construction quality (unanimous)
• Agreed to perform appraisal for Gator Properties at a cost of approx. $13,000

Board Of Assessors

The Swansea Board of Assessors is meeting to handle routine business, including approving minutes and signing vouchers. They will also discuss updates on scanning, GIS, and historic maps, as well as a potential modification to how personal property district tax is billed for solar farms. The board may also consider changing meeting times to daytime.

• Modification to billing for personal property district tax on solar farms
• Scanning update
• Vision & GIS updates
• Historic maps to website
• Discuss meeting times - possibility of daytime

The Board of Assessors approved three tax abatement applications and denied four. The board also approved minutes from four previous meetings and signed payroll and vouchers.

• Approved abatement for David and Monique Nasiff at 84 Locust Street (unanimous)
• Approved abatement for Nuno and Antuerpia Chitas at 274 Keiths Circle (unanimous)
• Approved abatement for Michael and Nancy Annunziata at 500 Ocean Grove Ave. (unanimous)
• Denied abatement for George A and Karen Auclair Oliveira at 25 Bryants Way (unanimous)
• Denied abatement for Dana Dussinger and Courtney Ponte at 135 Cortland Court (unanimous)
• Denied abatement for Paula Smith at 18 Bayside Avenue (unanimous)
• Denied abatement for Christopher Carreiro at 21 Lands End Way (majority, one abstain)
• Approved regular session minutes from Jan 25, Feb 8, and Feb 22, and executive session minutes from Feb 22

Board Of Assessors

The Swansea Board of Assessors is holding a regular meeting to approve minutes and vouchers, discuss old business, and consider new items including online GIS updates and scanning old records. They will also discuss rollback taxes, a new chapter land lien, and other tax matters, then enter executive session to discuss abatements, exemptions, and ATB matters.

• Discussion of changes to online GIS updates
• Discussion of scanning old records
• Rollback taxes on Map 27 Lot 9, Pontes Irrevocable Trust (Darby Pontes, Trustee)
• New chapter land lien on Map 5 Lot 5, Matthew Dacosta & Sara Morrison, 0 W S Colletti Lane
• Executive session to discuss abatements, exemptions, and ATB matters

The Board approved several property value adjustments and tax abatements during executive session. It also approved a Forestry Chapter land application and rollback taxes for a property on Marvel Street. The Board agreed to move GIS updates to a daily schedule.

• Approved rollback taxes for 2019-2023 for Map 27 Lot 9 (unanimous)
• Approved Forestry Chapter land application for Map 5 Lot 5 (unanimous)
• Approved daily GIS updates
• Adjusted secondary land value for Sunshine Realty Trust to approx. $10,200 (unanimous)
• Approved 90% land value reduction for William H Graff (unanimous)
• Reduced land and external obsolescence by 5% for 16 Ian Street (unanimous)
• Abated $98.97, $2.02, and $29.32 for Andrea J and Diane Rousseau (unanimous)
• Approved 6-month personal property form extension for Thomas H Morton (unanimous)

Board Of Assessors

The Board approved a chapter land application for forestry for a property on Colleti Lane. The Board also approved several sets of meeting minutes from 2022 and 2023 and signed payroll vouchers.

• Approved chapter land application for Sarah Morrison and Matthew DaCosta (Map 5 Lot 5 Colleti Lane) (Unanimous)
• Approved regular session minutes of January 18, 2023 (Majority, 1 abstain)
• Approved executive session minutes of January 19, 2022 (Majority, 1 abstain)
• Approved regular session minutes of March 2, 2022 (Majority, 1 abstain)
• Approved regular session minutes of March 16, 2022 (Majority, 1 abstain)
• Approved executive session minutes of March 16, 2022 (Majority, 1 abstain)
• Approved regular session minutes of March 23, 2022 (Majority, 1 abstain)
• Approved executive session minutes of March 23, 2022 (Majority, 1 abstain)

Board Of Assessors

The Board of Assessors is meeting to handle routine business including approving minutes, signing vouchers, and reviewing abatement applications. They will also discuss Chapter land applications and hold an executive session to discuss abatements, exemptions, and ATB matters. The agenda is largely procedural with no major policy decisions listed.

• Review of abatement applications received
• Chapter land applications discussion
• Executive session on abatements, exemptions, and Chapter land per G.L. c.30A Sec 21(a)(7)
• Executive session on ATB matters per G.L. c.30A Sec 21(a)(3)

The Board of Assessors unanimously approved a series of Chapter Land applications for various residential and organizational properties. The Board also authorized CSC Global to use its own personal property forms.

• Approved multiple Chapter Land applications (61A, 61B, and Forestry) for various property owners (unanimous)
• Approved request from William Spencer of CSC Global to use personal property forms (unanimous)
• Deferred approval of regular and executive meeting minutes
• Signed all appropriate vouchers and documents

Board Of Assessors

The Swansea Board of Assessors is meeting to conduct interviews for the position of Principal Assessor, with one candidate, Michael Minardi of Barrington, RI. The board will also handle routine business including minutes approval, vouchers, and abatement applications, and will enter executive session to discuss abatements, exemptions, and Appellate Tax Board matters.

• Interview for Principal Assessor position: Michael Minardi, Barrington, RI
• Chapter Land applications under Old Business
• Abatement applications under New Business
• Executive session: discuss abatements & exemptions per G.L. c.30A Sec 21(a)(7) and G.L. c. 59, Section 60
• Executive session: review ATB matters per G.L. c. 30A Section 21(a)(3)

The Board of Assessors voted to hire Michael Minardi as the Principal Assessor effective January 30, 2023. The Board also approved several sets of previous meeting minutes and signed appropriate vouchers.

• Hired Michael Minardi as Principal Assessor effective January 30, 2023 (unanimous)
• Approved regular session minutes of November 30, 2022 (unanimous)
• Approved but did not release executive session minutes of November 30, 2022 (unanimous)
• Approved regular session minutes of December 14, 2022 (unanimous)
• Approved and released executive session minutes of December 14, 2022 (unanimous)
• Signed all appropriate vouchers and documents

Cancelled Meeting

This meeting of the Swansea Board of Assessors was cancelled. The agenda, which included discussion of the Principal Assessor position, Chapter Land applications, and executive session items, will not take place as scheduled.

• Meeting cancelled
• Agenda included discussion of Principal Assessor position
• Agenda included Chapter Land applications
• Executive session planned for abatements, exemptions, deferrals, and Appellate Tax Board matters