Lincoln selectmen approve 1.3 commercial shift, reject three optional tax exemptions

LINCOLN — October 15, 2012 — Lincoln keeps split tax rate at 1.3 and hears final selectmen-level pitch for $48.9M school project. The Board of Selectmen voted unanimously to maintain the 1.3 commercial shift factor for FY13 and to reject the open-space discount, residential exemption and small-commercial exemption, accepting all four recommendations from assessor Edward "Buff" Morgan. The average tax bill will rise about 1 percent. School Committee Chair Jennifer Glass and Superintendent Becky McFall then presented the $49.96 million school renovation, with a maximum MSBA grant of $20.988 million leaving Lincoln's net cost at $28.967 million. The median tax bill is projected at $13,360 in FY17 with the project versus $12,411 without. Selectman Noah Eckhouse pressed on bid-overrun risk, citing his town offices experience that "all" three earlier estimates "were wrong and they're all too low"; Glass said the MSBA cap is firm and contingency is $2.5 million.