Reardon, Laverty Resign from Board of Assessors

The last two elected members of the Board of Assessors, Robert Reardon and Charles Laverty, have resigned.

Reardon submitted his notice on June 28, and Laverty followed on July 1.

“I want to thank Bob and Chuck for their long and diligent service to the town,” Select Board Chair Elizabeth Dionne said in a statement prior to a board vote, accepting the resignations.

According to Dionne, the Select Board will advertise the positions and aim to appoint two new assessors in about two weeks.

“This gives us plenty of time to vet and appoint replacements,” she said.

In April, voters passed Question 2, shifting the Board of Assessors from elected to an appointed position. After passing on election night by 11 votes, a recount narrowed that margin to four votes.

“It was four votes, but we still won,” Dionne said.

Under state law, Reardon and Laverty were entitled to serve the balance of their elected terms. Laverty’s term would have ended in 2025 and Reardon’s in 2026.

In his resignation letter, Reardon cited his 37-year involvement in the assessing department of the town. He started as the assessing administrator in 1987 and was first elected to the Board of Assessors in 2005.

“My reasons for serving are many,” he wrote in his resignation letter. “Belmont has been a great place to live and raise a family so this has been one of the ways I’ve been able to give back to our community. I have always put forth the best interests of the Town and am proud of the work the Board of Assessors has accomplished.”

In May, Dan Dargon, the town’s assessing administrator, was appointed to the Board of Assessors. That third seat was on the April ballot, but because of the switch from elected to appointed, the election results were negated.

The people appointed to the board will serve three-year terms, according to Dionne.

Assessors determine the value of a town’s real and personal property to calculate fiscal year tax rates. According to the town, the assessors appraise about 8,000 parcels in Belmont.

In January, Town Meeting members voted 156-87 to bring the question to the ballot. It began as a citizen petition from Precinct 8 Town Meeting member Angus Abercrombie.

In 2022, the Edward J. Collins Jr. Center for Public Management’s report on the town’s financial structure recommended improving government by shifting the treasurer and assessors to appointed positions to foster closer coordination between town financial functions.

The treasurer was shifted to an appointed position last year.

According to Dionne, the move to an appointed Board of Assessors solidifies the town’s financial team, consisting of the finance director, the Board of Assessors, the treasurer, and the town accountant.

Collectively, Dionne would like the Board to focus on senior tax relief, Payments in Lieu of Taxes (a fee non-tax-paying entities voluntarily pay the town), and helping to determine the highest and best use of the property as the town tries to rezone some areas to be more business-friendly.