Select Board backs 100% veteran tax break

Select Board · Meeting of April 6, 2026

Erving Select Board voted to send a 100 percent property tax exemption for veterans, the blind and seniors to Town Meeting. Meeting jointly with the Finance Committee and Capital Planning Committee, the board unanimously backed placing an article on the Annual Town Meeting warrant to adopt Massachusetts General Law Chapter 59 Section 5C 1/2, setting the exemption at 100 percent starting July 1, 2026. Finance Committee member Daniel Hammock, a partially disabled veteran, said "I think it's a disgrace if we don't give them as much as we can give them." Principal Assessor Diane Sumrall said a full exemption would cost an additional $33,393.73 over the current level.

The board also signed a one-year sheriff's office patrol MOU, a three-year, $8,000-ish animal control contract, and hired patrol officer Joe Doescher at $28.91 an hour.

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Source: the Select Board meeting of April 6, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript. It was corrected where it differed.