Pittsfield Senior Tax Work-Off Program Now Accepting

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Applications are now available for the city of Pittsfield's Senior Tax Work-Off Program for Fiscal Year 2025. 
 
Eligible candidates must be Pittsfield residential property owners 60 years of age and older at the time of the application.
 
Program applications must be postmarked or received by the Assessors' Office by May 31, 2024.
 
Active municipal employees are not eligible for the Senior Citizen Tax Work-Off Program.
 
There will be a limit of two participants per eligible property; however, the total abatement cannot exceed the maximum exemption of $2,000. Income eligibility shall be determined by using the locally adopted income eligibility guidelines of Massachusetts General Law Chapter 59, Section 5, clause 41D (plus an additional $5,000). 
 
The selection of participants will be based on need and shall be valid for one year.
 
In the event that other opportunities become available, qualified volunteers not selected for this program will be placed on a waiting list in order of need. The city is not obligated to offer another position if a volunteer declines an assignment.
 
If you are married, your yearly income cannot exceed $43,786.00; for an individual, yearly income cannot exceed $36,890.00. All volunteer work must be completed between June 1, 2024 and November 30, 2024.
 
An application for this program can be found on the city website: http://cityofpittsfield.org/city_hall/board_of_assessors/index.php
 
Applications are also available at the Assessors' Office, which is in City Hall, Room 108, 70 Allen St.
 
For more information, contact the Assessors' Office at (413) 395-0102.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Dalton Select Board Calls for Special Election

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
DALTON, Mass. — The Select Board has called a special election to fill its vacant seat left by former member Joseph Diver after delaying the decision on a citizen's petition.
 
Diver announced that he would be stepping down from his seat effective Oct. 1 during a meeting at the beginning of September. 
 
The board has been discussing whether to hold a special election since October but was hesitant because of cost, proximity to the presidential election, and confusion regarding state law procedures.  
 
The decision no longer became one the board could make following a citizen petition led by Robert Collins, which garnered 237 signatures from residents calling for a special election. The petition had 223 certified signatures. 
 
During a meeting at the beginning of November, board members delayed the decision to call a special election until the town confirmed that proper legal procedures were followed.
 
"I talked to our town lawyer and he said he was satisfied with everything in place, and we could go ahead and proceed with it. So, that made me satisfied," Chair Robert Bishop said. 
 
The special election to complete the last months of Diver's three-year term will take place on Monday, Feb. 3, at the Senior Center. Residents running for the vacant seat can pull papers at the town clerk's office between Tuesday, Nov.26, and Dec. 24. 
 
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