MELROSE — Mayor Jen Grigoraitis delivered the following testimony on May 13, 2025, before the Massachusetts Legislature’s Joint Committee on Revenue:
Thank you for the opportunity to submit testimony on behalf of the City of Melrose in support of H. 3979, An Act authorizing the City of Melrose to establish a means tested senior citizen property tax exemption.
This legislation would reestablish a means-test property tax exemption for qualifying senior residents of Melrose based on receipt of the Massachusetts Senior Circuit Breaker Tax Credit on their personal income tax return. The Melrose City Council originally voted to adopt this local measure in March 2021, and after enactment and signing in July 2022, the program began in Fiscal Year 2023.
Since adoption, we have been proud to provide property tax relief to 209 senior households, most for multiple years, helping our older residents age in place in our community. The property tax exemption is a key tool in promoting and sustaining Melrose’s affordability in spite of ominous fiscal trends such as uncertainty in global financial markets and the rising cost of living.
The Melrose City Council unanimously approved this Home Rule Petition on February 18, and we are grateful to our state representative, the Honorable Kate Lipper-Garabedian, for her prompt filing of this timely and impactful legislation.
I respectfully urge the Committee to report favorably on the passage of H. 3979, An Act authorizing the City of Melrose to establish a means tested senior citizen property tax exemption.