Whately assessors table farm machinery tax decision, sign abatements

WHATELY -- April 23, 2026, Whately Board of Assessors tables farm machinery tax decision as valuation questions linger. The board, meeting April 23, revisited a longstanding question about whether to bill farmers for personal property taxes on equipment, with the town's own treasurer noting that the number of farms on the machinery tax list fell from 21 in fiscal year 2024 to 12 in fiscal year 2025, at $5 per $1,000 of self-reported value, and that no self-reporting letters have yet gone out for fiscal year 2026. "Only the honest taxpayers are being taxed," the treasurer wrote in a note read aloud at the meeting. The board agreed to continue the practice historically used but asked assessor's assistant Abby to search office files for documentation of how prior valuations were supported before any new letters are sent. The board also signed motor vehicle excise and real estate abatements, approved a chapter 61 application deemed approved by law after 90 days without action, and voted unanimously to adjourn into executive session to discuss specific property values without returning to open meeting.