Lincoln selectmen hold commercial tax shift at 1.3 for fiscal 2015

LINCOLN — September 8, 2014 — Lincoln selectmen hold 1.3 commercial shift and approve two police appointments. The board voted 3-0 Sept. 8 to keep the CIP shift factor at 1.3 on the Board of Assessors' recommendation, setting the residential rate at $14.15 per thousand and the commercial rate at $18.60; Principal Assessor Harold Scheid said the total levy will rise from $25.6 million to $26.6 million, with average tax bills up 3 to 4 percent. Selectman Peter Braun called the shift "a sliding scale" but did not push for the maximum 1.5 factor, which would have shaved only another 10 cents off the residential rate. The board also rejected open-space, residential and small commercial exemptions, promoted Officer Ian Spencer to detective, hired Matthew Florence as a new patrol officer on Chief Kevin Kennedy's recommendation, and named Selectman Noah Eckhouse as Lincoln's representative to the new Massport Community Advisory Committee.