Council votes to widen senior tax exemption

Select Board · Meeting of August 12, 2026

North Adams City Council voted 7-0 to raise income thresholds for a senior property tax exemption untouched since 1987. Chief Assessor Sierra Dowling said the $500 Clause 41C exemption's $13,000 single-filer cap would rise to $20,000, and the qualifying age would drop to 65, after she noted "we definitely can't meet the current thresholds." The council also voted 7-0 to grant four easements clearing the way for a $2.2 million Walnut Street wall repair funded largely by a $2 million MassWorks grant. A $83,017.21 police cruiser purchase from the parking reserve fund passed 5-1 with one abstention; Councilor Keith Bono cast the lone no vote, arguing the city should not draw further from parking revenue "without having the parking app." Corey Fortin, president of the North Adams Tenant Organization, told councilors that Housing Authority residents "do not feel safe" and that building fire doors remain broken.

In the full story:

• Minutes, Hearing of Visitors and Committee Reports
• Firefighter Swearing-In
• Walnut Street Wall Repair Easements
• Senior Property Tax Exemption (Clause 41C)
• Short-Term Rental Community Impact Fee
• Police Cruiser Purchase and Parking Reserve Fund
• Election Administration and National Grid Petition
• Open Forum
• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report: 2,748 words

Source: the Select Board meeting of August 12, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript.