MAC: Tax rates down, tax bills up

Did you know …

Again, Canton homeowners will see their property tax bills increase even though the rate recommended by the Board of Assessors and approved by the Board of Selectmen fell 17 cents from $12.40 to $12.23 per $1,000 valuation. However, property values in Canton increased, with the average single-family assessment rising 4.5 percent from $540,941 last year to $565,192 this year. According to the Board of Assessors, the average Canton homeowner will see their tax bill increase approximately $205 from fiscal year 2019 to FY20. The average condominium assessment rose by 5 percent from $301,915 last year to $316,766 this year, resulting in an average annual tax increase of $131. In the last two years, the average single-family Canton homeowner’s tax bill has increased $463, which, by the way, is one of the highest two-year jumps in the south shore.

Commercial and industrial property taxes also saw a big jump as assessments rose by an average of 12 percent over last year, although, like the residential property, that tax rate dropped 35 cents from $25.77 to $25.42 per $1,000 valuation. According to Gene Manning, chairman of the Board of Assessors, the increase reflects a reduction in vacancies and an increase in sale prices for commercial and industrial properties in Canton. Last year, MAC projected that Canton’s property tax bills would see “bigger increases.” MAC hates to say it, but over the next few years, they are likely to continue to increase.

The largest personal property taxpayer in the town is Eversource with a bill of $1,757,655, and the largest real estate taxpayer is Spear Street Capital, owners of the former Reebok headquarters property, which nets the town $1,893,790 in taxes.

A detox center in Canton? As recently reported in the Canton Citizen, Boston Property Ventures is looking to open a substance abuse detoxification and treatment center at the old Tower Hill Nursing Home on Getchell Way in Canton. Getchell Way is a short, dead-end street that is not even directly connected to Canton. It actually starts in Randolph and ends up against Route 24 with only four houses and three businesses along the road. According to Kristen Ward of 55 Getchell Way, if there is a medical emergency, first responders would have to travel nearly five miles through Randolph in order to respond.

Thyme is the new restaurant that replaced the Grape Leaf in the center of Canton. MAC has heard that the food and service is outstanding.

According to a recent article in the Canton Citizen, Canton state Rep. Bill Galvin announced that the state legislature and Governor Charlie Baker have delivered a new $500,000 contribution to support the rebuilding of the Metropolis Skating Rink, which is currently under construction.

Triple A Pawtucket outfielder Rusney Castillo will be paid by the Boston Red Sox $13.5 million next season and probably will not play a game. In 2014, Castillo signed a seven-year guaranteed $72.5 million contract and has not appeared in a major league game since 2016.

Former Canton police officer “Big Bill” Devine was honored by his family with a surprise 80th birthday party on January 3 at the Canton American Legion Hall. Bill was a Canton police officer for over 35 years. He now lives in Florida, but still manages to spend quality time in Canton.

Interesting USA Trivia: Eighty percent of the land in the state of Nevada is owned by the U.S. government; at 6,640 miles, the state of Alaska has the longest coastline compared to any other state in the country; and New York City served as the nation’s capital for five years from 1785 to 1790.

Americans own an estimated 423 million guns and 8.1 billion rounds of ammunition, according to the latest data.

You never lose; you either win or learn.

This is all for now folks. See you next week.

Joe DeFelice can be reached at manaboutcanton@aol.com.

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