MALDEN CITY COUNCIL ROUNDUP: Councillor Spadafora proposes increasing owner-occupied homeowner tax break; Council approves special permit for new Malden Sq. cannabis retailer City Assessor will make a future presentation on how proposed increase from 30% to 35% of an exemption would affect taxpayers, city finances By Steve Freker M alden could possibly join the cities of Somerville and Boston and become the third community statewide to offer the highest property tax break allowed by state law for owner-occupied residences. Councillor-at-Large Craig Spadafora at the most recent Malden City Council meeting offered a resolution calling for the city to raise its owner-occupied property tax exemption from 30% to 35% for the next rate-setting fiscal period. The residential exemption is a reduction in real estate taxes for all those homeowners who occupy their property as their principal residence. The residential exemption amount is a reduction of a given percentage of the average assessed value of single-family residential properties. The property tax rate is set Councillor-at-Large Craig Spadafora has proposed that Malden increase its residential exemption on property value and taxes from 30% to 35%. (Courtesy/City of Malden) Malden Board of Assessors Chairperson Nate Kramer is now working on a presentation for a future City Council meeting where he could lay out the potential effects of a residential exemption. (Courtesy/City of Malden) BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE! by municipal governing bodies and is announced near the end of each calendar year after a public hearing. Malden’s property tax rate for residential properties is $11.33 per $1,000 of assessed value. Malden is one of only 17 communities that consistently approve – through their elected officials – of the residential exemptions. Some of the others are Boston, Brookline, Cambridge, Chelsea, Marlboro, Nantucket, Somerset, Somerville, Tisbury, Waltham and Watertown. The communities differ with respect to the percentages of residential exemptions. Boston and Somerville have set their residential exemption percentages at 35%, the highest allowed. The other municipalities, including Malden, are at 30% for the residential exemption. Spadafora said the prime reason he was promoting this change “is to discourage absenROUNDUP | SEE PAGE 8 Free Tickets to Mayor’s 2025 State of the City Address F ree tickets to Mayor Gary Christenson’s 2025 State of the City Address being held on Tuesday, March 4 from 8-9 a.m. at Anthony’s at 105 Canal St. will be allocated on a first come, first served basis and will be required for admittance. Attendees should plan to arrive between 7:30-7:45 a.m. for a prompt 8 a.m. start of the presentation. Due to capacity, seating will be limited. Please RSVP for your tickMalden and the entire Northeast has been in the midst of one of the coldest winters in recent years. Since Winter officially began on December 21, only ONE day has a temperature of 40 degrees, 11 days in the 30s and the rest in the 20s and teens. This week, the temperatures already have dipped to 9 and 11 degrees, with a wind chill BELOW ZERO Monday and Tuesday. Here we see that "Pichu" is dressed well for the weather, seen in Malden Square along with his "Mama" Hui Cheng. Let's look forward to warmer weather ASAP! (Advocate Photo) et at https://www.eventbrite. com/e/mayor-gary-christensons-state-of-the-city-2025-tickets-1247176381129?aff=oddtdtcreator For admittance into the event, please have your ticket printed out or have the QR code ready to be scanned on your phone. For residents unable to attend in person, the event will be recorded by Urban Media Arts (UMA) and subsequently broadcast on Public Access Television and UMA’s YouTube channel. We hope you will join us as we come together to celebrate Malden’s resilience, achievements and the path forward.
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