Tax Abatement Committee — Burlington, VT
Date: 2022-10-27
Time: 12:00

October 27, 2022
 October 27, 2022 Tax Abatement Committee Hearing - 4:00 p.m. Sharon Bushor
 Conference Rm; Ground Flr

@ Click here to view the minutes for this meeting
1. Agenda

 1.01 Introductions-everyone present should introduce themselves and title in relation to the
 committee or city staffing. Organizational meeting to follow.
 Type: Information




 1.02 Approve Minutes from last meeting.

 Type: Action (Consent), Minutes
 Recommended Action: Approve previous meeting/hearing minutes by all committee members present


 2 Minutes_Tax Abatement Committee
 Organization Meeting_9.20.2022.pdf


 1.03 Petitioner's requests for abatement.

 Type: Communication, Discussion, Information

 ApplicantRepresentativeParcel IDProperty LocationMailing NumberMailing StreetCity
 State Zip code
 John & Lauren Bakewell 059-1-030-000227 South Cove Rd.98Chipman StreetSouth
 Burlington, VT 05403
 Terry Krinsky & Brenda Laquer 044-2-145-40435 Cherry Street Unit 40435Cherry Street Unit
 404Burlington, VT 05401


2. Public Forum

 2.01 Public Comment

 Type: Communication, Presentation




3. Deliberative Session

 3.01 Committee only-discussion of evidence presented. Comment on need for additional
 information from petitioner(s) prior to making a recommendation.Make decisions on
 recommendations to full board or requests for more information from petitioners.
 Type: Action, Communication, Discussion




City of Burlington, Vermont Page 1 of 2
 October 27, 2022
 October 27, 2022 Tax Abatement Committee Hearing - 4:00 p.m. Sharon Bushor
 Conference Rm; Ground Flr

4. Adjourn

 4.01 Chair selects next meeting/hearing date before committee votes to close meeting.

 Type: Action




City of Burlington, Vermont Page 2 of 2

October 27, 2022 Tax Abatement Committee Hearing - 4:00 p.m.
 Sharon Bushor Conference Rm; Ground Flr
 10/27/2022


Tax Abatement Committee

Thursday, October, 27, 2022, 4:00 p.m.

Sharon Bushor Conference Rm



Minutes of the Hearing




Committee Members: Councilors Mark Barlow (MB) Chair, Perri Freeman (PF), Gene Bergman (GB)



Others Present: Jared Pellerin (JP), City Attorney’s Office; John Vickery (JV), City Assessor; Kenneth Nosek (KN), Committee
Administrator-City Assessor’s Office; Traci Isham (TI) Accounts Receivable Team Lead; Maja Kazimieruk, A/R & Receipts
Specialist.

At 4:06 p.m. Chair Mark Barlow commenced the meeting.



Agenda:

Motion to adopt by GB

Second by MB passed

Ammend agenda to approve minutes from last meeting to be written as minutes from last hearing.



Minutes Adopted:

GB motion

MB seconded

Unanimous



Public Forum open:

No one from the public was present



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 October 27, 2022 Tax Abatement Committee Hearing - 4:00 p.m.
 Sharon Bushor Conference Rm; Ground Flr
 10/27/2022

Terry Krinsky and Brenda Laquer 35 Cherry St Unit 404; 044-2-145-404

Owners believe penalties and fees assessed were wrong.

Mailing address from owners perspective was incorrect but some mailings such as the reappraisal data mailer and their
revaluation change of appraisal notice reached their correct address but not the tax bill.

Reasonable person would not know that the city keeps separate database for addressing in forms of voting, C/T, Assessor,
etc.

Moved in 2019 from East Fairfield to Burlington. Voted in every election since they moved here.

Did not receive their 2020-2021 tax bill – thought it was due to a Covid management plan underway by the city.

Came into C/T to retrieve their tax bill and paid for two quarters that were overdue.

At same time, Terry Krinsky set up online payments.

USPS does not forward confidential government mail and instead these documents get returned to sender. Owners
understanding is the bill gets put into an dead letter box (Tracy refuted that there were dead letters in C/T office at this
time).

In 2022 a delinquent notice was sent to owner’s former home and new owners of the former East Fairfield address forward
the mail left accidentally by mail carrier at old East Fairfield address and that is when the owners discovered they had more
delinquent tax fees and interest.

John Vickery adds to testimony – he conducted research and found two letters from the city assessor’s office with correct
address which one sent announced the city wide revaluation. No address correction form ever found. No reason why our
address shows an old address when we had some mail sent to owners with correct address. John is convinced this is a city
error.

GB asked C/T – Traci Isham if anything on bill front or back states that taxpayer/owner must file change of address form
with assessor if owner changes mailing address from what is on record.



Committee recommends to grant request for abatement




John Bakewell; 227 South Cove Rd; 059-1-030-000

Tax Abatement Committee attempted to call Mr. Bakewell on Chair Mark Barlow’s phone and also per Councilor Freeman’s
suggestion attempted to text Mr. Bakewell that the hearing on his petition was started.



After a wait of several minutes the Chair commenced the hearing for discussion on the written testimony.




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 October 27, 2022 Tax Abatement Committee Hearing - 4:00 p.m.
 Sharon Bushor Conference Rm; Ground Flr
 10/27/2022

Only address city had for owner/petitioner was from the Property Transfer Tax Return of July 17, 2020.

Address on record was a Massachusetts address.

No change of address was on file.

GB asked for an accounting from Treasurer’s office of the requested abatement amount provided by the property owner.
GB request to place it onto the record and Chair Barlow agreed to this.

Place evidence supplied by Traci Isham for Treasurer onto the record.



Councilor Freeman suggests she is ready to make a recommendation. GB agreed to that suggestion.



Committee recommends to deny request for abatement.



Closed hearing per Chair Barlow at 5:00. No members of the public present.




Adjournment:

Public meeting adjourned at 5:00 p.m.



Motion to Adjourn by GB

Seconded by PF

Meeting Adjourned at 5:27 PM.



Unanimous




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