Maynard Finance Committee defers vote on senior property tax cap petition

MAYNARD -- April 7, 2025, Maynard's Finance Committee deferred action on a citizen petition to freeze property taxes for residents 70 and older, while voting 7-0 to recommend a veteran tax work-off abatement program ahead of the annual town meeting warrant deadline. Chair Jillian Prendergast and committee member Peter Campbell both said they wanted more data before weighing in on the senior relief article, which petition sponsors Victoria and Eddie estimated could affect roughly 900 households at a first-year cost of approximately $175,500, figures they acknowledged were rough assumptions. The proposal would cap residential real estate taxes at the FY25 level for three years for eligible senior homeowners, citing a 2024 UMass community needs assessment in which 62 percent of respondents said Maynard's tax burden, currently the 16th highest in Massachusetts among 354 municipalities, would cause them to leave town. The Maynard Retirement Board also briefed the committee on two warrant articles: one raising the retiree cost-of-living adjustment base from $15,000 to $18,000 for the first time since 2011, and one extending stipends to four currently unpaid board members of a fund now valued at roughly $70 million.