Jesse Floyd
The filing of Bill HD5049 took a critical step forward in advancing efforts to end a special tax exemption for recreational land in Belmont.
Certain types of land defined as recreational under state law can apply for and receive a significant cut in property taxes. If passed, the newly filed bill will end the tax break for recreational property in Belmont.
At a Special Town Meeting in November, members voted 229-3, with one abstention, to file a home-rule petition with the state legislature to end the tax break.
According to Select Board Vice Chair Elizabeth Dionne, the only entity in town that applies for the tax break is the Belmont Country Club. In a previously published story, The Voice reported the country club had received nearly $368,000 in tax breaks by applying for the law.
“We are under no illusion that this is going to be an easy lift,” Dionne said. “But it starts an important conversation on who gets tax breaks and why.”
If it passes, it will bar any Belmont entity from applying the law for the tax break. The Select Board was advised that the sweeping approach had a better chance of success than specifically targeting the country club.
“We could have done that, but it would have made [the success of our petition] much riskier,” Dionne said.
Under the law, property greater than five acres maintained in a wild, natural, or open condition (including landscaped or pasture) used primarily for recreational purposes can apply for the tax break. Recreational uses include hiking, camping, fishing, skiing, nature study, and golfing, among several others.
According to a report at masswood.org, land qualified for inclusion can’t be taxed at more than 25 percent of its assessed values.
Dionne said the country club’s greens and fairways are open spaces, but they are not public spaces, and the club benefits from a large tax cut at the expense of the public.
In an email, Kira Arnott, chief of staff for Rep. Dave Rogers, wrote that the representative sees the possibility of resistance to the change because other golf clubs and facilities in the state take advantage of the tax break.
“Land conservation groups might also oppose it because the relevant law (Chapter 61B) is designed to protect open land from development,” Arnott wrote.
The bill will be sent to a committee for review and a hearing before possibly moving to the floor of the House and Senate for a vote. The Legislature holds its last formal session on July 31, but home rules often pass in informal sessions, which will occur twice a week through the end of the calendar year. If it passes both chambers, the bill will go to the governor for her review. If it cannot make it through all of those steps before the end of the year, it will expire and have to be refiled.
According to public tax filings, the country club, which offers “golf, swimming, tennis, and dining for the pleasure of its membership,” had revenue of $11.6 million in the fiscal year 2022 and total assets of $17.7 million.
Efforts to reach the country club for comment were unsuccessful.
