Pittsfield begins Senior Citizen Tax Work Off Program

PITTSFIELD – Staying in their homes with rising tax bills has become a major burden for many Berkshire County retirees.

To try and help Mayor Daniel L. Bianchi and Administrative Services Director Mary McGinnis are rolling out the first stage of the Senior Citizen Tax Work Off Program.

“The initial pilot will allow the city departments to design and operate a program over the next three months” said Mayor Bianchi. “It will eventually be expanded to more applicants beyond the pilot period.”

The City of Pittsfield hopes to recognize the vast array of knowledge and skills its senior citizens possess. The city is offering the opportunity for seniors to contribute this knowledge to the community and receive a tax abatement on their property taxes.

Hours worked will be paid no less than the current Massachusetts minimum wage with a maximum abatement of $1,000. The program can also be combined with other exemptions.

There are several criteria an applicant must meet, including age and income. Participants must be age 60 or over at the time of application.

Eligible properties must be classified as residential, and must be owned and occupied by the participant at the time the work is performed.

There will be a limit of two participants per eligible property; however, the total abatement cannot exceed the maximum exemption of $1,000.

For a married individual, yearly income cannot exceed $28,757.  For a single individual, yearly income cannot exceed $23,604. Only eight volunteer positions are available for fiscal year 2014.

For this first year, all volunteer work must be completed between Sept. 1 and Nov. 30.

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.

Active municipal employees are also not eligible for the Senior Citizen Tax Work Off Program.

Posted by Kameron Z. Spaulding on July 5, 2013. Filed under Community News,News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry