Southbridge subcommittee advances doubled elderly, blind tax exemptions to Town Council

SOUTHBRIDGE — June 10, 2026 — Southbridge's general government subcommittee voted unanimously Wednesday to double three local property tax exemptions and advance two board reappointments to the full Town Council. The subcommittee, meeting June 10 in the Larry E. McDonald Veterans Meeting Room, recommended adoption of MGL Chapter 59, Section 5C and a Half, which would raise the elderly exemption from $500 to $1,000, the surviving-spouse and minor-child exemption from $175 to $350, and the blind exemption from $437.50 to $875, at an estimated annual cost of under $9,000 to the town's overlay account. Councilor Adams, a non-voting participant, called the move "very similar to the veterans' abatement" and said the town has already accepted the underlying clauses. The subcommittee also recommended reappointment of James A. Dyer to the Library Board of Trustees through June 30, 2029, and Michael Daniels — who has served more than 10 years — as chair of the Liquor Licensing Board through July 1, 2029. A fourth action reclassified a utility billing administrative assistant position from hourly grade S-7 to a salaried MS-14 Utility Billing Coordinator overseeing roughly $12 million in enterprise fund billing, though citizen member Clemens urged Human Resources to strengthen the minimum qualifications before the description is finalized.