Acting Mayor Ralph J. Figy. (Photo submitted)
WESTFIELD – A public hearing on the tax shift has been scheduled for Nov. 19 at 5 p.m., followed by a Special City Council meeting at 6 p.m. to vote on the 2020 Tax Rate.
Acting Mayor Ralph J. Figy said that the public hearing and vote is an annual event that is scheduled after Free Cash is certified, which is expected to occur this week.
At the hearing, the Board of Assessors will provide information relevant to determination of the percentages of the local tax levy to be borne by each class of real and personal property for Fiscal Year 2020, and the fiscal effect of the available alternatives.
“Basically, we’ll be setting the shift between the residential and commercial property,” Figy said, adding, “It’s a balancing act.” He said the parameters of the vote will be given to the Council by the assessors.
Last year’s hearing began with comments from City Assessor Robin Johnson, who gave a brief recap of historical shifts in the city, ranging from a low of 1.43 in 2003, to a high of 1.75 in 2007; although she said the shift has mostly ranged from 1.63 to 1.70.
Only two members of the public were present at last year’s hearing, including Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Kate Phelon and Matthew Roman. Phelon gave a plea for fairness, asking councilors to reduce the burden to businesses with a shift of 1.61, down from 1.65 in FY2018.
The plea went unanswered, as the City Council voted for a tax shift of 1.66 for FY2019 that slightly favored residents.
This week, Phelon said she plans to ask again at the hearing. “The Greater Wesfield Chamber of Commerce will be asking the city council for a 1.61 tax shift on behalf of the business community. I will be sending out a letter to the council prior to the public hearing explaining our reason for this shift.”
Figy said setting the tax rate is the biggest duty he currently has to accomplish as Acting Mayor. He also said that the early time of the meeting was due to the difficulty of scheduling a meeting in the Council Chambers. Immediately following the Special City Council meeting, the Planning Board is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Other duties Figy will have to perform include signing pay checks, and making sure the business of the city goes forward. “There are more things that I can’t do than I can do,” he said.
Superintendent Stefan Czaporowski has also told him to expect a call at 4 a.m. during snow storms, to help make the determination on school cancellations. Figy will also be attending the School Committee meetings as a voting member, but will not serve as the de-facto chair as the mayor does. Instead, the vice-chair, currently Ramon Diaz, Jr. will serve in that role.
Figy said he is scheduling a meeting with Mayor-Elect Donald F. Humason Jr. for this week.
Beyond that, Figy said he will be filling in for the mayor at public appearances, such as the lighting of the Christmas tree on Park Square Green, until the new mayor is sworn in on Jan. 6.
