HAMILTON — The selectmen were able to put their seal of approval Monday night on a request to bury the remains of an Agawam Indian on Sagamore Hill, next to the grave of the Agawam sachem Masconomet.
The request, from the state's Indian Affairs Commission, was originally made last week, but ownership of the land was uncertain.
Turns out it was originally left to what was then the Historic District Commission by one Standish Bradford in 1969. Six of the commissioners were on hand Monday night, enough for a quorum, and they gladly gave their imprimatur.
The unknown Indian's bones may wind up with more of a marker than originally thought.
Historic Commission Chairman Tom Catalano asked whether money appropriated for a bronze marker for Masconomet's grave had ever been spent.
Finance Director Deborah Nippes-Mena said it is on DPW Director John Tomasz's to-do list, but it has not been done. Catalano said information about the grave site's newest resident could be added to it if the state commission approves.
Vouched for
Finance Committee Chairman Arthur Oberheim told selectmen there will be a change in the community service tax voucher for seniors over 60. It was formerly limited to singles making less than $35,000 a year, and couples making less than $45,000.
Oberheim said the income restriction is being lifted, and every year a budget will be established for the program, which allows seniors to work for the town in turn for a bit of a property tax break.
Beginning July 1, seniors will be sought for specific jobs, rather than just giving them whatever filing that needs to be done.
"It's a minor way to help the town cut costs," Oberheim said.
Make it in Massachusetts
There was some discussion whether a search firm should be hired in the quest for a new police chief, and it occasioned some levity.
Wheeler noted that if the Police Department was part of civil service, the town would have had no choice but to hire an outside firm if it wished to advertise nationally.
She noted that's what happened recently in North Reading, even though the town had publicly asserted its intention to promote from within.
Selectman Bill Bowler could only shake his head.
"That's Massachusetts for you," he said. "You have to use an outside source to find candidates right under your nose."
A taxing situation
The tax classification hearing brought out some interesting numbers.
Residential properties now account for $1,363,501,400 of the town's total value, with commercial, industrial and personal property amounting to about an additional $53 million.
Which is one reason Proposition 21/2 requests have proliferated. Fully 95 percent of the town's revenue comes from the owners of single-family homes, and there's no way to give them a significant break without driving business owners elsewhere.
According to a chart provided by the assessor's office, raising the commercial tax rate 50 percent would only save the average homeowner $428 a year, but would raise taxes on business by more than $3,000.
