Seekonk Board Advances Senior Tax Break, Accepts $253,000 Sidewalk Grant

Select Board · Meeting of July 22, 2026

Seekonk Select Board advances senior property tax exemption overhaul and accepts $253,000 sidewalk grant. In a joint session with the Board of Assessors, the Select Board heard a detailed proposal to replace the town's 20-year-old Clause 41C senior tax exemption — which currently helps only 28 of 1,947 senior-owned properties — with an enhanced "41C and a half" offering a 20 percent discount on assessed residential value for homeowners 65 and older with incomes up to $112,000 for married couples, tied to the state Circuit Breaker income tax credit. A worst-case financial analysis prepared by town staff put the full cost at $2,618,435 annually, redistributed across all taxpayers; Board of Assessors member Jan Parker called the current program "an embarrassment" that has gone unchanged for 20 years.

Chair Gary Sagar asked Town Administrator Shawn Cadime to model per-household cost impacts and set a special community meeting for August 12 at 6 p.m. at the Senior Center. The board also accepted a $253,284.05 MassDOT Shared Streets and Spaces grant for Peck Street sidewalk construction, voted to initiate a cable television licensing process that would allow Verizon to compete with Comcast, and authorized Chair Sagar to sign the Massachusetts School Building Authority Initial Compliance Certification alongside School Committee Chair Bob Girardi.

In the full story:

• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report — 4,563 words

Source: the Select Board meeting of July 22, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.