The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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DEVAL L. PATRICK GOVERNOR TIMOTHY P. MURRAY LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR

Executive Department State House  ·  Boston 02133 (617) 725-4000

January 24, 2007.

To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives:

Pursuant to the provisions of  Article II, Section 8, Paragraph 1, Clause (2) of the Amendments to the Constitution, as amended by Article LXXXIX, I am filing for your consideration the attached legislation entitled, “An Act Authorizing the Abatement of Certain Property Tax Assessments in the Town of Danvers.”

   Senator Berry, Representative Speliotis and the Danvers Town Manager have asked that this legislation be filed to permit the Town to provide a tax abatement to homeowners in the Town of Danvers whose property was damaged by the November 22, 2006, Danversport chemical plant explosion.  As a result of the explosion many families were displaced and several homeowners will have to demolish their homes and rebuild.   

   Absent legislative action, the Town can abate or refund real estate taxes only to persons whose real estate has decreased by over 50 per cent.  Because many of the affected homes are located along a riverbank, however, the value of the land exceeds the value of the home, and some of the homeowners that have to demolish their homes are ineligible to receive the abatements.   The requested legislation reduces the threshold decrease in value percentage to 30 percent.

   The Danvers property tax bills for the third quarter of this fiscal year were mailed to all homeowners on December 29, 2006, and the taxes are due on February 1, 2007.  Accordingly, I urge your early and favorable consideration of this bill to ensure that the covered families can meet their financial obligations and get some tax relief.  The next tax abatement filing deadline is not until May 1, 2007.

Respectfully submitted,

                                                                                       DEVAL L. PATRICK,

                                                                                       Governor.

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the Year Two Thousand and Seven.

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An Act authorizing the abatement of certain property tax assessments in the town of Danvers.

        Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

SECTION 1. Notwithstanding section 2D of chapter 59 of the General Laws, or any other general or special law to the contrary, the town of Danvers, acting through its board of assessors, shall abate a portion of the taxes assessed for fiscal year 2007 on any real estate that has decreased in assessed valuation by over 30 per cent as a result of the November 22, 2006 explosion at the Arnel, Co. Inc. and CAI, Inc. site, in an amount to be calculated in the manner provided by paragraph (e) of section 2D of chapter 59.

SECTION 2.  This act shall take effect upon its passage.