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EVERET V Vol. 30, No.51 -FREEE E ER TT www.advocatenews Have a Safe & Merry Christmas! H H DVO ATCT C ee Every Friday 617-387-2200 We’ll be closed for the holidays December 24-25th. Wishing you happy holidays and thank you for being both customers and friends. As always, access our ATMs and your Online & Mobile Banking anytime. Enroll at www.EverettBank.com GREATER GOOD: State Senator Sal DiDomenico and Santa Claus during the DiDomenico Foundation’s annual Toy Drive last Thursday at Kowloon in Saugus. The Foundation purchased more than $23,000 in toys so that no needy children would be left out this Christmas. This was the most successful Toy Drive in the history of the Foundation. See pages 10 & 19 for photo highlights. (Courtesy Photo) City Council approves maximum tax shift for FY22 419 BROADWAY. EVERETT, MA 02149 771 SALEM ST. LYNNFIELD, MA 01940 WWW.EVERETTBANK.COM 617-387-1110 781-776-4444 Member FDIC | Member DIF By Christopher Roberson T SINCE 1921 Messinger Insurance Agency 475 Broadway Everett, MA 02149 Phone: 617-387-2700 Fax: 617-387-7753 NEW COMPETITIVE AUTO RATES AND BENEFITS AVAILABLE  ACCIDENT FORGIVENESS  DISAPPEARING COLLISION DEDUCTIBLE  11% DISCOUNT WITH SUPPORTING POLICY  10% COMBINED PAY IN FULL DISCOUNT AND GREEN DISCOUNT  10% GOOD STUDENT DISCOUNT Celebrating 100 years of excellence! Monday thru Friday: 8am to 6pm Saturdays 9am to 1pm! Check out our NEW website! www.messingerinsurance.com he City Council, during its special meeting on December 20, voted unanimously to adopt the maximum tax shift of 1.75 percent for fi scal year 2022. The new tax rates will be $10.36 per $1,000 for residential properties and $24.04 per $1,000 for commercial properties. By comparison, the residential rate in fi scal year 2021 was $9.87 while the commercial rate was $23.20. “We’re in a very hot real estate market,” said city Assessor B.J. Devereux. “Over the past two years it’s gotten very heated.” Although Everett’s property taxes will be going up, William Hart, chairman of the Board of Assessors, said the single tax rate would have been $13.74. Therefore, the shift of 1.75 percent from residential to commercial was the best option for homeowners. In contrast, Malden’s residential rate is $12.29 and its commercial rate is $19.17, and the residential rate in Cambridge is $5.92 while its commercial rate is $11.23. In fiscal year 2021, the residential rate in Somerville was $10.19 and its commercial rate was $16.69. Also in fi scal year 2021, the residential rate in Chelsea was $13.62 and its commercial rate was $26.64. In addition, Devereux said there are currently 8,685 properties in Everett for a total assessed value of more than $5 billion. Within that fi gure, Devereux said, the average single-family home is valued at $581,986. He also said the average condominium is valued at $296,222, representing a sizable increase compared to the average value of $278,439 last year. The City Council also voted unanimously to continue the residential tax exemption of 25 percent for owner-occupied properties. On the commercial side, Devereux said convenience stores have increased in value from $918,000 last year to $965,000 this year. Fast food establishments went up slightly from COUNCIL | SEE PAGE 21 DVOV CATE Friday, December 24, 2021 DiDomenico Foundation raises more than $23K for annual Toy Drive

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