Special election voters approve permanent senior tax break

By Celeste Katz Marston — Celeste@theconcordbridge.org

Concord voters in Tuesday’s special town election overwhelmingly approved making a tax break for seniors permanent. 

The program is meant to help low and moderate-income seniors stay in their homes. Making it permanent required not only a vote of Town Meeting, which approved it this spring, but approval in a traditional election. 

A total of 2,499 people cast ballots — which comes out to about 18 percent of the eligible electorate of 13,969 voters, according to results released Tuesday night by Town Clerk Kaari Mai Tari and certified Wednesday. 

Of those, 2,218 — or nearly 89 percent — voted yes for a permanent senior means-tested property tax exemption in the single-issue election, 277 voted no, and there were four blanks. 

The exemption is available to homeowners who are 65 and older who have lived in town for ten consecutive years or longer. Their home value must not exceed Concord’s single-family median value, and they must meet certain income criteria. 

Currently, just 33 seniors are enrolled in the program, which accounts for about a cent on the tax rate. 

The permanence of the exemption goes into effect 30 days after the election.

Physical poll sites were fairly quiet Tuesday, with much of the voting done by mail. 

As of 6 p.m., Tari told The Concord Bridge, 1,833 of 3,522 early voting ballots had been returned, as were 67 of the 102 absentee ballots mailed. Nine of the 48 overseas absentee ballots mailed or emailed came back. 

In a June 8, 2017 special town election that included a temporary senior means-tested property tax exemption question, just 706 voters — or 5.4 percent of the electorate — cast ballots. 

In that election, about 87 percent voted in favor of the tax break. 

This story has been updated. Below are Wednesday’s full official results by precinct.

For information on how to register as a Concord voter, visit concordma.gov/375/Elections-Voting.