PILOT

Selectman Rooney speaks out on PILOT contributions

May 23, 2011 09:45:17 AM

If you watched Channel 5 news, last Friday you might have seen a familiar face. Southborough Selectman John Rooney was interviewed for a story on tax exempt organizations and efforts by some towns — Southborough included — to collect what they say the tax exempts owe.

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Selectmen talk PILOT donations with state rep

February 9, 2011 12:02:21 PM

Payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) contributions – voluntary donations made to the town by tax-exempt nonprofit institutions – has been a hot topic on the blog this past week. Last night John Rooney and his fellow selectmen reiterated their stance on PILOT contributions: It’s all about fairness.

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Rooney asks St. Mark’s and Fay to contribute more

February 3, 2011 11:47:05 AM

Selectman John Rooney thinks it’s time for the non-profits in town to step up. With the backing of the Board of Selectmen, Rooney recently asked both St. Mark’s and Fay School to increase their payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) donations to help cover the cost of town services they use, and to compensate for the loss of property tax revenue on residential property owned by the schools.

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PILOT contributions in Southborough fall short of other towns

September 8, 2010 12:14:59 PM

The fact that St. Mark’s School doesn’t pay property taxes to the town has been a topic of conversation lately here on the blog. It’s anything but a new subject. We’ve talked about it before, and a year ago the town put together a committee to look at the voluntary contributions St. Mark’s and the other big non-profits in town — Fay School, The New England School for Children, and Harvard University — make to the town.

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Harvard donates $50K toward new ladder truck

January 12, 2010 11:46:05 AM

Harvard University has pledged $50K over three years toward the purchase of a new aerial ladder truck – a purchase that was approved at special town meeting this past September.

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Fay donates $100K toward new public safety building

September 9, 2009 01:56:38 PM

Earlier this summer Fay School committed $100K over 10 years toward the purchase of a new ladder truck for the town. In a letter to the Municipal Facilities Committee last week, Fay pledged another $100K over 10 years toward a new public safety facility. “Fay School values the safety of all members of the Southborough

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Report: Ten percent of Southborough property is tax-exempt

August 24, 2009 03:19:19 PM

The Metrowest Daily News did an article on PILOT contributions in Metrowest towns, Southborough included. The article presents some interesting figures I haven’t seen elsewhere: Southborough has $2.2 billion worth of taxed properties and $243 million worth of tax-exempt properties. If I did my math right — all those zeros make me dizzy — that means

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Advisory Committee proposes linking PILOT agreements to new construction

August 18, 2009 10:17:16 AM

Over the past several months, selectmen have met with nonprofits in an attempt to boost their contributions to the town. While some of the discussions have borne fruit — mostly in donations to the ladder truck fund — selectmen still consider the relationship between the town and its nonprofits inequitable. Last week selectmen formed a committee

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Committee formed to research PILOT donations

August 13, 2009 12:28:44 PM

The Boston Globe today has an article on PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) donations by nonprofits, and it focuses largely on Southborough. Of note, here’s a quote from a Fay School spokeswoman that I’m sure you’ll appreciate: The Fay School feels an obligation to be a good citizen of Southborough. To meet that obligation,

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Fay makes contribution to ladder truck fund, but does away with annual PILOT

July 30, 2009 12:12:45 PM

At their meeting on Tuesday night, Selectman Bill Boland announced that Fay School has decided to match St. Mark’s $100,000 donation toward the purchase of a new ladder truck for the town. Great news, right? Yes. And no. Fay will donate $10,000 over the next ten years, all earmarked for the ladder truck. The problem

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Volunteers sought for PILOT committee

June 30, 2009 09:29:06 AM

You pay property taxes (pressumably). I pay property taxes. But some of the biggest landowners in town don’t. St. Mark’s, Fay School, The New England Center for Children, and Harvard are all tax-exempt non-profit organizations, which means they’re not required to pay property taxes on land they own. But while they don’t pay taxes, they

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NECC donates $120K to ladder truck fund

March 24, 2009 06:59:08 AM

Town Administrator Jean Kitchen told me last night that the New England Center for Children donated $120K toward the purchase of a new ladder truck. The donation will be paid out over ten years. Add the NECC donation to the $100K contributed by St. Mark’s and the $100K (ish) raised at the Fire Ball, and

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