Williamstown Select Board Launches Residential Tax Exemption Review, Fills Housing Authority Seat

WILLIAMSTOWN -- July 24, 2023, Williamstown Select Board opens door to residential property tax exemption that could cut bills for 75 percent of full-time homeowners. Select Board member Stephanie Boyd presented an analysis showing lower-valued properties in Berkshire County are systematically over-assessed, with the lowest-priced decile paying roughly $471 too much annually while top-decile owners pay about $5,500 too little. A 35 percent residential exemption, the state maximum, would give a $250,000 homeowner an $1,800 annual break while raising taxes on second homes and rental properties; a 10 percent exemption would shift roughly $400 per household. The town's annual tax levy stands at approximately $16 million. The board unanimously appointed Andy Bryant to the Williamstown Housing Authority and voted to replace gendered "Selectmen" signage throughout Town Hall with gender-neutral language. A Verizon pole petition on Green River Road was approved 5-0, after the board learned the pole had already been installed without authorization before the hearing was held.