Select Board holds commercial tax factor at 1.5, approves Twin Pond conservation restrictions

LINCOLN -- September 15, 2025, Lincoln Select Board holds commercial tax factor at maximum, flags broken senior exemption. The board voted unanimously Monday to maintain the 1.5 commercial classification factor for FY26 and to decline three optional exemptions, after assessor Stan Buck reported residential values rose roughly 7 percent and commercial values about 3 percent, with average tax bills up 2.8 percent. Buck told the board Lincoln's means-tested senior exemption paid only about $15,000 this year, down from roughly $50,000 in its first year, because a 10-percent-of-income cap "cuts out people with almost no income." The board also approved permanent conservation restrictions on two Twin Pond Lane parcels acquired in a $1.8 million 2022 deal that combined $200,000 in CPA funds with a roughly $1 million landowner donation, and amended its CPA grant policy to require reconfirmation of public benefit when a building's use significantly changes.