Boston City Council Debates Home Rule Petition to Ease Commercial Property Tax Shift

BOSTON — April 16, 2024 — Boston weighs temporary shift in commercial property tax burden to protect homeowners and renters. The City Council's Committee on Government Operations held a full remote hearing Tuesday on Docket 0642, a home rule petition filed by the Wu administration that would temporarily raise the maximum allowable property-tax-burden shift onto commercial real estate from 175 percent to 200 percent of the residential rate, stepping back down over four years. Chief Financial Officer Ashley Groffenberger and Commissioner of Assessing Nicholas Ariniello told the 13-member council the measure is revenue neutral and optional, designed to prevent a potential 40 percent spike in average single-family tax bills — the scenario that nearly materialized in 2003 before a similar petition passed. Marty Walls of the Boston Municipal Research Bureau endorsed a comprehensive approach but warned the structural nature of remote work makes 2004 an imperfect guide: "2024 is not 2004." Greg Vassell of the Greater Boston Real Estate Board called for a Tufts University listening session and flagged job losses among union building-service workers if cash-strapped landlords cut maintenance contracts. The matter was held in committee, with the administration eyeing a July 31 state-session deadline.