Lincoln Select Board votes to hold commercial tax shift at 1.3 for FY14

LINCOLN — September 9, 2013 — Lincoln holds commercial tax shift at 1.3 but sets May restart on rate talks. The Select Board on Sept. 9 unanimously adopted the Board of Assessors' recommendations on all four FY14 tax-classification items: keeping the commercial-industrial factor at 1.3 and rejecting open-space, residential, and small-commercial exemptions. Chair Peter Braun pressed for an incremental move toward the 1.5 statutory cap, calculating that going to 1.5 would cost RLF about $13,000 more on top of $86,000 and save the median homeowner roughly $100. Members Renel Boucher Fredrickson and Noah Eckhouse pushed back, citing Lincoln North's ~40% vacancy and pass-through to tenants. Town Administrator Tim Higgins noted the average tax bill is rising 3.8 percent, compared with 5.2 percent absent $330,000 in CPA funds applied to town-offices debt service. The board separately awarded a three-year hauling contract to International Paper Recyclers at $26,120 per year.