ROWE — Annual Town Meeting voters will be asked to approve new measures to assess utility property valuations on Monday at 7 p.m. in the Rowe Elementary School.
In 2016, the state Department of Revenue changed a rule that required revaluation of electricity facilities from every three years to every five years. But the Boards of Assessors in Rowe, Monroe and Florida, who jointly contract for the valuations of hydro facilities, believe that five years is too long to go between appraisals, given the volatility of the electricity market. After consulting with the DOR, all three town assessor boards are asking for annual valuations of these hydro electric facilities.
They have jointly signed a five-year contract with GE Sansoucy PE (George E. Sansoucy utility appraisals and engineering services) for interim yearly updates based on electricity market changes, followed by a fifth year (2023) formal revaluation. One-time “separation” studies will also be performed under this contract to definitively determine which portions of each hydro facility are in each town.
Rowe’s annual cost for this valuation will be $17,600, to be voted annually at annual town meeting.
Another initiative by the Board of Assessors is for the appraisal of electric utility transmission and distribution assets that have not previously been valued. According to Rowe assessors, several towns in western Massachusetts are also considering whether to assess and tax these assets. The assessors have signed a contract for this service with GE Sansoucy PE to begin July 1, contingent to a $7,000 appropriation at annual town meeting.
The budget to be considered at the annual meeting calls for education costs to drop from $1.64 million to $1.59 million — a 3 percent decrease.
About $65,000 is requested from the Capital Stabilization Fund for the following repairs and purchases: $31,000 for a Department of Public Works truck; $17,000 for a DPW lawn tractor; $1,200 to replace the library handicap ramp; $10,000 for Town Hall heating and cooling on the second-floor; and $6,000 for an energy-efficient front door for Town Hall.
Education costs for the coming year in this town of 387 residents are $1.59 million. That includes $1.1 million for the Rowe Elementary School operating budget and $410,598 for tuitioned students attending the Mohawk Trail Regional high school and middle school.
Total spending, to be raised and appropriated from taxation, comes to about $3.7 million.
If all articles are approved as written, the town will see a 22-cent tax hike, bringing the town’s rate up to $7.08 per $1,000 valuation. According to assessors, that raise will bring the average single-family tax bill up to $1,454 — the fourth lowest in the state. Taxes for commercial, industrial and personal property, such as the Bear Swamp hydroelectric facility, will go up from $14.73 to $15.19.
Although Rowe is not a member of the Mohawk Trail Regional School District, Rowe voters will have a chance to address an article that would take Rowe’s tuition calculation out of the regional agreement.
The proposed agreement change says that all Grade 7 to 12 students from Rowe will be accepted to Mohawk on a tuition basis, based on tuition negotiations reached by the Rowe and Mohawk school committees.
Mohawk officials say the 1993 formula that established Rowe’s tuition is outdated, and any tuition changes currently require a town meeting vote by all Mohawk member towns. Superintendent Michael Buoniconti says that Mohawk and the Rowe school committees have negotiated a new tuition agreement this year, that Rowe’s tuition will be based on the average operating budget assessment of Mohawk member towns.
This agreement change has been recommended in Rowe by the Selectboard, Finance Committee and School Committee, according to the warrant.
Several Mohawk member towns have approved it in annual town meetings earlier this month.
Voters will also see a “Special Events” bylaw, which defines special events as any gathering, event or outdoor performance that 30 or more people attend. This bylaw specifies that no special event will be allowed without a permit issued by the Selectboard. The application must be submitted to town officials at least 28 days before the event, and town officials could prescribe health and safety regulations, require a bond as security against damages, limit the hours of the event or prohibit excessively loud noise.