Beverly City Council To Consider Property Tax Exemption Expansion

BEVERLY, MA — A proposal in front of the Beverly City Council Subcommittee on Finance and Property on Monday night would "effectively double" the property tax exemptions available to the city's seniors, veterans and those with disabilities.

City Councilor Brendan Sweeney proposed the exemption expansion, saying that the move would "allow the city's most vulnerable residents to stay in their homes."

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"I have heard from many residents — particularly seniors and others with fixed incomes — regarding the notable increase in residential property taxes in Beverly recently," Sweeney said in his proposal letter to the Council. "While there is no 'silver bullet' solution available to address the rising property taxes that have resulted from notable rises in residential property values, state government does provide municipalities with various options to expand residential property tax exemptions."

Sweeney has proposed setting the exemption limit at 100 percent of that allowed under current state law.

"If the City Council adopts the proposed order, those exemptions will effectively double," Sweeney said.

The subcommittee meeting will take place at 6 p.m. on Monday in City Hall chambers ahead of the third — and perhaps final — public hearing on a proposed $18 million renovation to the Beverly Public Library that includes HVAC replacement with a geothermal system, a new roof and other accessibility improvements.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)