11.19.2019 Fall River City Council Meetings

The Fall River City Council met on November 19, 2019, beginning with a public hearing on the fiscal year 2020 property tax factor. Mike O'Sullivan, president of the Bristol County Chamber of Commerce, and commercial property owner Carl Hetzler spoke against placing an excessive tax burden on commercial properties, pointing out that Fall River's commercial tax rate of $31.36 per thousand was among the highest in Massachusetts and had increased 92% since 2008. They advocated for gradually reducing the tax shift toward the minimum allowed by the state.

Following the hearing, the council held a special meeting where resident Louise Fascio and representative Bill Teixeira addressed flooding and drainage issues on Whitefield Street. They reported that city stormwater and runoff from neighboring developments built by contractor Jamie Duff were being diverted onto Fascio's private parcel, rendering the buildable land unusable. The council discussed subdivision accountability and voted to adopt a resolution referring the Whitefield Street flooding matter to the Committee on Real Estate to convene city officials, developers, residents, and state legislators.

In formal business, the council approved two enterprise fund transfers: $440,000 from Water Enterprise Fund free cash to the water operating budget, and $1,225,000 from Sewer Enterprise Fund free cash to the sewer operating budget. The council then heard from the Board of Assessors and debated the fiscal year 2020 tax classification, ultimately approving a tax shift of 1.71 (resulting in a commercial tax rate of approximately $30.86 per thousand) as well as the adoption of the fiscal year 2020 tax levy.

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