Boston Council Panel Clears Maximum Residential Tax Exemption for Full Vote

BOSTON — December 11, 2024 — Boston's Ways and Means Committee advanced a property tax classification measure Wednesday that would deliver the maximum relief available to owner-occupant homeowners under state law. City CFO Ashley Groffenberger told the panel that docket 1715, covering a 35 percent residential exemption and the minimum residential factor, would set a residential tax rate of approximately $11.58 per $1,000 of assessed value — compared to roughly $17.88 without classification action. On a $300,000 assessed-value property, that gap translates to more than $1,800 annually. Groffenberger warned that the first two quarterly bills are estimated at prior-year values, meaning third- and fourth-quarter bills will produce a bill-to-bill increase of approximately 21 percent for average single-family homeowners, consistent with the administration's earlier 20-to-30 percent estimate. Council Member Sharon Durkan called the Massachusetts Senate's failure to act on the city's home rule petition "a disservice to Boston's residents," while Council Member John FitzGerald pressed unsuccessfully for a same-week means-tested senior exemption; Groffenberger said the city's legislative timeline had "nearly expired." The committee adjourned the hearing and referred the matter to the full council for a vote the same day.