Senior Municipal Service Program

Regulations

Section 1.0 - Background

This program was created through the approval of Article 14 of the 2000 Annual
Town Meeting held on April 24, 2000 accepting the provisions of Massachusetts
General Laws, Chapter 59, Section 5K with an effective date of July 1, 2000.

Section 2.0 - Program Regulations

(A) Hourly Rate - The hourly rate of the credit will be the minimum wage rate
in Massachusetts.

(B) Eligibility Date – July 1, 2000

(C) Income Limitations – Resident households with income equal to or less

than 80 percent of the Town’s median income as determined periodically
by the Dept. of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) are eligible for
this program. The most recent income limits are attached as Appendix C.

(D) Limitation on Type of Work That Volunteers May Do – Volunteers shall not
be involved in the following areas:

1) Any police or fire related activities other than office related work.
2) Operation of heavy equipment.
3) Work that involves confidential information.
4) Work that involves specific licenses that the volunteer does not
have.

(E) Deadline for Applications – Applications to participate shall be first-come,

first-serve but must be received no later than March 31 for the next
coming fiscal year.

(F) Program Limitations – This program shall be limited to a maximum

program cost of $10,000 per year which shall be charged against the
overlay account. Program participants must be over 60 years of age. The
initial program abatement is $500. If funds are available at the end of
March of any fiscal year, previously approved program participants could
rejoin the program without getting approval again, and work an additional
amount of hours to increase their total abatement at the end of June to a
maximum of $750. All abatements are subject to availability of funds in
the overlay account.

(G) The Board of Selectmen must approve all volunteer workers and projects
or work that the volunteer will undertake under this program.

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(H) The volunteer must be a resident of Sturbridge and the property in which
the volunteer receives the credit toward must be the primary residence of
the volunteer.

(I) Abatements are limited to one per household. Where two qualifying
persons reside in the same household the maximum abatement shall be
$750.

Section 3.0 – Miscellaneous Provisions

(A) Accounting for abatements – Reductions must be applied to the actual tax
bills for the fiscal year. The full tax should be committed and billed, with
the reduction shown on the bill as an abatement or credit against the
amount due. All reductions are processed as abatements and charged
against the overlay account.

(B) Certification of Service – The Board, Committee or Department

supervising the taxpayer’s volunteer services must certify to the Board of
Assessors the amount of services performed by the taxpayer as of the
time the actual tax for the fiscal year is committed. Services performed
after that date would be credited in full toward the next fiscal year’s actual
tax bill and will count toward the maximum stated in Section 2.0 (E) above.
The form found in Appendix A must be used for this certification.

(C) Status of Volunteers – Taxpayers performing services in return for

property tax reductions are employees for the purposes of municipal tort
liability. The Town is therefore liable for damages for injuries to third
parties and for indemnification of the volunteers to the same extent as
they are in the case of injuries caused by regular municipal employees.

(D) Eligible Departments – The Departments found under Appendix B are

departments that will accept volunteer workers. This list shall be updated
on an annual basis.

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 APPENDIX A

TOWN OF STURBRIDGE
CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION OF VOLUNTEER SERVICES
(MGL CH. 59, §5K)

To the Board of Assessors:

______________________________ (taxpayer’s name), the owner of a parcel at

_______________________________ (property address) has completed

________ hours of volunteer work to be credited toward the fiscal year _____ tax

assessed on the parcel at the address listed above at the rate of minimum wage..

_______________________________
(Signature of Person Certifying Work)

_______________________________
(Board, Committee or Department)

_______________________________
(Date)

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 APPENDIX B
ELIGIBLE TOWN BOARDS, COMMITTEES AND DEPARTMENTS
SENIOR MUNICIPAL SERVICE PROGRAM

Police Department
Planning Department
Public Works Department
Town Clerk
Library
Council on Aging
Town Administrator/Board of Selectmen
Town Buildings
Conservation Commission
Board of Health
Treasurer
Accountant

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 APPENDIX C

HUD INCOME LIMITS

Insert most recent HUD income limits here.

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