Town of Shirley, Massachusetts

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Shirley, MA

	Today: Thunderstorms Likely 86°F \| 63°F
	Tomorrow: Chance Thunderstorms 86°F \| 64°F
	Tuesday: Chance Rain Showers 89°F \| 63°F
	Wednesday: Chance Rain Showers 79°F \| 61°F

Sewer Betterments

Town of Shirley

Sewer Betterment Data

Assessors Main Page

Betterment Information

Sewer betterments were assessed by the Sewer Commission beginning in fiscal year 2003. The Assessors Office is responsible for apportioning the betterments, adding amounts due to the tax bills, and providing payoffs. Questions about the assessment of the betterments should be directed the the Sewer Commission.
A single betterment is valued at $9375.00.
Unless owners originally requested another payment term, paid-off in full at the time of the original assessment, were approved as Senior Deferrals, or the betterment was assessed on vacant or classified land, the betterments were apportioned over a 20 year period with 2% interest added each year to the remaining principal balance.
Betterments assessed to vacant land are charged for interest only at an annual rate of 4% with the full balance due at the end of the 20 year period.
Betterments approved by the Sewer Commission as Senior Deferrals are due in full with acrued 4% interest on the outstanding balance of the betterment at the time of the owners death or any change in title of the property.
Please inquire in the Assessors Office for amounts and types of betterments assessed to a property.

How are sewer betterment principal and interest billed by the Town of Shirley?

The amount of the betterment assessed a property is divided, or apportioned over 20 years (unless betterments were assessed on vacant land or property owners requested a shorter term). One twentieth of the betterment amount is added to the interest calculated at a rate of 2% on the remaining principal balance of the betterment. The sum of the betterment portion and the committed interest is split equally and added to each of the 3rd and 4th quarter actual tax bills normally due in February and May. On the tax bills, the sewer betterment principal is shown as SBett and the committed interest is shown as SBCI.

Betterments assessed on vacant land are billed interest only at a rate of 4% calculated on their outstanding principal balance. This committed interest amount is split equally and added to each of the 3rd and 4th quarter actual tax bills normally due in February and May. On the tax bills, the sewer betterment committed interest is shown as SBCI.

Please refer to the Sewer Betterment Principal and Interest Payment Schedule for a guideline of the apportionment of a typical single betterment over 20 years.

Betterment Payoffs

Betterments assessed on vacant land must be paid off when the land is developed. Occupancy permits will not be issued until the payoff is processed.
Betterments are assessed to the property, not the owners, and constitute a lien on the property. When property is sold, the Town does not stipulate that the betterment be paid in full, unless the betterment was assessed on vacant land. The new owner assumes the betterment assessment the same as he assumes the property tax assessment.
Betterments may be paid off in full at any time. Please call 978-425-2600 ext. 220 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it for a payoff. We can email or fax them to you. A payoff date (when the check will be received by the Town of Shirley) must be provided for a payoff calculation. Please note all betterment added to tax must be paid also as per municipal lien.
Payoff does not include fee for Dissolvement Certificate to remove lien. The fee for a Dissolvement Certificate is $4.00.

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Motor Vehicle Excise

Town of Shirley

Motor Vehicle & Trailer Excise Tax

Assessors Main Page

Town Collectors Main Page

What is motor vehicle excise tax?

Motor Vehicle and trailer excise is an annual tax assessed for the privilege of registering a vehicle in the State of Massachusetts. Every motor vehicle and trailer registered in Massachusetts is subject to an excise tax unless expressly exempted. The Registry of Motor Vehicles prepares data for excise bills according to the information on the owner’s motor vehicle registration and sends it to the city or town that the vehicle is principally garaged. The bills are then prepared based on the excise data provided by the Registry of Motor vehicles and mailed by the Collector’s Office

Who must pay excise tax?

Excise is assessed to anyone with Massachusetts' license plates.

What is the rate and how is the bill calculated?

Excise is calculated at the rate of $25.00 per thousand dollars of valuation. Please be advised that the value stated on the bills is not the actual value of the vehicle, but a percentage of manufacturer’s list price new. The Registry of Motor Vehicles determines the value stated on the bill using the following table:

In the year preceding the year of manufacture 50%
In the year of manufacture 90%
In the second year 60%
In the third year 40%
In the fourth year 25%
In the fifth and succeeding years 10%

What if I have sold my car or moved out of Shirley?

Click here to see instructions and form on how to apply for abatement of motor vehicle excise tax.

Motor Vehicle Excise Abatement Application Package

When is payment due?

Payment is due within 30 days from the date of issue. A person who does not receive a bill is still liable for the excise tax. Therefore, it is important to keep the Registry of Motor Vehicles and the Post Office informed of current name and address so that the excise tax bill can be delivered promptly.

Where should I mail my tax payment?

Please mail your payment and remittance slip to:

Town of Shirley Collector’s Office
7 Keady Way
Shirley, MA 01464

Who do I make my check payable to?

Make checks payable to the Town of Shirley. If you would like a receipt, please send a self-addressed, stamped envelope and the complete bill. We will stamp the taxpayers portion of the bill and return it to you.

What happens if my payment is late?

All bills will clearly state the interest and penalty charges.

If an excise is not paid within 30 days from the date of issue a demand bill is sent. The charge for a demand bill is $5.00.
Interest accrues on the overdue bill at a rate of 12% from the day after the due date until payment is received.
If the demand bill is not paid within 14 days, the collector will issue a warrant to the deputy tax collector. The deputy tax collector sends the warrant notice to the taxpayer with additional fees of $22.00 plus interest.
If payment is still not received, the deputy will deliver a service warrant with additional fees of $17.00 plus interest.
If the bill still remains unpaid, the registration and license of the assessed owner are marked at the Registry of Motor Vehicles and another $20.00 fee is added to the bill.

How does non-payment of excise affect my license and registration?

If the service warrant demanding final payment is not paid, the deputy collector will then notify the Registry of Motor Vehicles of such non-payment. The Registry will then mark the individual’s registration preventing the renewal of the motor vehicle registration and the owner’s driver’s license. The taxpayer will then be assessed a $20.00 mark fee in addition to all other penalties and interest.

To remove the mark the excise must be paid by with cash, certified check or money order. Once payment is made, the Collector will notify the Registry or Motor Vehicles and the taxpayer will be able to renew his/her license or registration.

To request your balance on a bill that has gone to warrant or is marked at the Registry, you may either call the Collector at 978-425-2600, ext. 210 or, if the Collector Office is closed, contact Kelley and Ryan Associates, the Deputy Tax Collector at 508-473-9241. Please, only contact the Deputy Tax Collector if you cannot reach the Collectors Office.

More Information from the Secretary of State's Office

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Property Information, Assessment, & Taxation

Town of Shirley

Property Information, Assessment, and Taxation

Assessors Main Page

Property Information

Property Assessment and Taxation

How We Identify Properties

Each parcel of land in the Town of Shirley is identified on the map by a Parcel ID. The Parcel ID consists of 3 sets of numbers and letters or the Map-Block-Lot. First is the number of the tax map, followed by the block (a letter representing the section of the map), and then a lot number (not the street number or builders lot number). The Parcel ID is also found on the top of the property record card and tax bill.

Property Type Classification Codes

All properties in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts are classified with a three digit land use code. Please click here for a list and explanation of these codes.

Property Record Cards

Each parcel in the Town of Shirley is maintained in a database in the format of a Property Record Card (PRC), also sometimes called a field card. The PRC contains data about the parcels assessments, land area, owners name and address, sales information, and improvement data (buildings, yard items, special features). The Town of Shirley Assessors maintains our database using Patriot Properties CAMA Software. Please contact our office with any questions about any of the data on the PRC.

Property Owners may request a copy of their Property Record Card at any time for no fee. The fee for all other requestors is $1.00 per PRC. PRC’s are available in the Assessor Office or by forwarding a request with a self addressed postage paid envelope with the fee. PRC’s can not be faxed or emailed.

Assessors Database online.

Assessors Maps

The Assessors utilize Cartographic Associates for all our mapping needs. Maps are updated annually with new recorded splits, subdivisions, surveys, and data changes. The maps show lot lines, zoning, and land areas only (no building or septic data is shown). Maps are for assessment purposes only and are not valid for legal description or conveyance. The Town of Shirley is divided into 123 maps. Maps are updated annually as of January 1.

Property Owners may request a copy of the map showing their parcel at any time for no fee. The fee for all other map copy requests is $1.00 per map. Map copies are reduced to 11 x 17 inches. Maps are available in the Assessor Office or by forwarding a request with a self addressed postage paid envelope with the fee. Maps will not be faxed or emailed. Maps can be viewed for reference purposed only online on the Assessors webpage in PDF format; printing and viewing quality are not guaranteed. Maps are not in GIS.

Shirley Tax Maps as of January 1, 2008 - these had to be split into 5 files to be placed online. Click each set to view the desired map ranges included. Each file includes a cover sheet and index map.

Deeds

The Town of Shirley belongs to the

Southern Middlesex Registry of Deeds
208 Cambridge St.
PO Box 68
East Cambridge, MA 02141

Recorded documents can be found online at www.cambridgedeeds.com. The website for the registry also has information and downloadable forms for the Homestead Act.

Copies of recorded deeds for land in the Town of Shirley can also be found in our office going back to 1917. Property Owners may request a copy of their deed at any time for no fee. The fee for all other deed copy requests is $1.00 per page. Deeds are available by forwarding a request with a self addressed postage paid envelope with the fee. Deeds and plans can not be faxed or emailed.

New Construction

We have provided handy information tables for looking up data on new construction and new subdivisions on the following subdivisions: Click here.

Apple Orchard Estates
Countryside Acres
Hazen Hill Estates
Lakeview Drive
The Meadows Phase II
Oakes Landing
Patterson Estates

Supplemental Tax Assessment on New Construction

Effective July 31, 2003, in compliance with General Law Chapter 59 Section 2D, cities and towns must make supplemental pro-rate tax assessments on the value of certain improvements to real estate made after the June 30 assessment date for new construction. A supplemental assessment can only be made if the value of the parcel, as improved by the new construction, is more than 50 percent higher than the original assessed value for the year. Click here for more detail.

Abutter’s Lists

Abutter’s lists can be requested to be produced and certified. The fee is $25.00. Please specify the exact location in Parcel ID format that the list is being requested for and how many feet (100, 300, direct abutters) the list needs to be produced for. Abutter’s lists come with 2 sets of mailing labels. Please allow a period of up to 10 business days for us to complete these requests.

Other Information in Our Office

We also maintain the following in our public information look-up room:

Flood Maps
Zoning Specifications
Banker & Tradesman
Comparable Sales published by the Warren Group

Please This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it for information regarding special reports and other information requests.

Personal Exemptions

Statutory Exemptions Information

Statutory Exemption Application

Senior Work-off Program

Senior Work-off Program Information

Senior Work-off Program Application

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Assessors

The Assessors function as a member of the municipal government finance team whose duties include maintaining the property database, valuing and classifying property, committing taxes, granting exemptions and abatements, apportioning betterments, and administering excises.

Board of Assessors

Joseph A. Saball, Chair

Ronald L. Marchetti, Clerk

James E. Keefe

Assessors Office Staff

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Contact Information

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Phone: 978-425-2600 ext. 220

Fax: 978-425-2681

Address: 7 Keady Way, Shirley MA 01464

Location: Town Offices, first floor