Page 18 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, APRIL 29, 2022 THE SOUNDS | FROM PAGE 17 in the second fl oor auditorium of Saugus Town Hall, let’s direct some praise and appreciation to all of the civic-minded Saugonians who serve in the legislative branch of town government. They will spend most of the Mondays over the next two months deliberating over important zoning and fi scal matters that aff ect all town residents — the most important item being the passage of the proposed budget for 2023 Fiscal Year that begins July 1. Hats off to each of the Town Meeting members — fi ve in each of Saugus’s 10 precincts — who were selected by the voters last fall. Also, the town’s volunteer Finance Committee, led by longtime Chair Kenneth DePatto, are deserving of some loud “Shout-Outs,” too, for their painstaking review of Town Manager Scott C. Crabtree’s proposed budget. They will continue to meet through the duration of the Town Meeting season until a new town budget has been adopted by Town Meeting members. The committee has voted on recommendations for all articles with fiscal implications that are expected to come before the Town Meeting on its opening night. FinCom members will continue offering their recommendations on each of the articles that make up the town budget. So, hats off to the Finance Committee and Town Meeting members for the important work they do for the community as citizen volunteers. Want to “Shout-Out” a fellow Saugonian? This is an opportunity for our paper’s readers to single out — in a brief mention — remarkable acts or achievements by Saugus residents or an act of kindness or a nice gesture. Just send an email (mvoge@comcast.net) with a mention in the subject line of “An Extra Shout-Out.” No more than a paragraph; anything longer might lend itself to a story and/or a photo. Comedy at The Kowloon The Kowloon Restaurant (Route 1 North in Saugus) continues its April comedy lineup with a colorful roster of funny men. For tickets and to reserve a table or for more info, call 781-233-0077. Here we go: April 29 (tonight): David Russo; hailed as the high-energy act that never fails to leave audiences doubled over in laughter, Russo has yet to meet a crowd that he can’t win over with his charm and upbeat attitude. His quick wit and clever improvisation skills keep audiences on their toes. His artful storytelling — combined with his fl air for theatrics and killer Robert DeNiro impression — has entertained audiences around the country. Showtime is 8:00 p.m. and tickets are $20. Become a part of the Community Garden The Rev. John Beach of St. John’s Episcopal Church continues to search for a few good men, women and children who would like to join a noble cause: the second year of the church-sponsored community garden. “We are inviting all interested persons to join us in producing vegetables for those who are suff ering from food insecurity in Saugus,” Rev. Beach wrote in a recent letter to the community. Rev. Beach is looking for a variety of help as the garden approaches planting time for its second year: If you are able to grow a few seedlings in your home, we would like to bring the seeds, soil, pots, and instructions in the next few weeks. We would like to invite any who are available to help for an hour to help us prepare the garden on Friday, May 13th and/or Saturday May 14th between 9 a.m. and noon. Assist in the planting of crops on Friday May 27th and/ or Saturday May 28th sometime between 9 and noon. We will be having a brief service of the blessing of the ground on the Friday. Assist for an hour a week in the tending of the crops (weeding and watering) over the course of the summer. Assist in the harvesting of the crops in September and delivering them to the Saugus Food Pantry “If you are able to assist, or if you are interested in contributing to the garden, please let me know. I am looking forward to working with you,” Rev. Beach said. He can be reached by phone (774-9619881) or email (revjbeach@ gmail.com). Saugus Kindergarten Registration underway Kindergarten registration for students entering the Saugus Public Schools in the fall of 2022 opened this week. Registration packets may be picked up at the Main Offi ce of the Veterans Early Learning Center (VELC) at 39 Hurd Ave. in Saugus Monday through Friday during school hours. The packet will also be available on the Saugus Public Schools’ website, https://www.saugus. k12.ma.us/. Completed forms and required documentation may be returned to the VELC Main Offi ce starting Monday, May 16. Packet drop-off hours will be Monday through Friday from 9:30 to 11 a.m.; kindergarten screening appointments will be scheduled at this time. Screenings will take place on Wednesday, June 8 and Thursday, June 9 and will last about 20 minutes. There is no deadline for registration; however, the district asks families to return the forms by May 20 in order to schedule screenings, and plan for staffi ng and programming in the fall. Saugus moved to a free, allday kindergarten model for the 2021-22 school year to better prepare students academically, socially and emotionally. A half-day option is not available. “Free, all-day kindergarten levels the playing field and gives Saugus children all of the building blocks they need from day one,” said School Committee Member Ryan Fisher. Students must be fi ve years old by Aug. 31, 2022, in order to enter kindergarten in the fall of 2022; there are no exceptions. For more information, please contact the Veterans Early Learning Center at 781-231-8166. Curbside leaf collection next month The Town of Saugus recently announced that spring curbside leaf collection will take place during the week of May 9, 2022. Residents may dispose of leaves curbside on their regularly scheduled collection day, between Monday, May 9, and Friday, May 13. Leaves should be left outside by 7 a.m. on the appropriate days. Please ensure that leaf containers are physically separated from trash and recycling. Paper leaf bags are the preferred method of leaf disposal. If you are using barrels, they must be clearly marked with yard waste stickers. Stickers, which are free, may be obtained at Inspectional Services in the lower level of Town Hall (298 Central St., Saugus). Barrel covers must remain removed so that the leaves are visible. Plastic bags, cardboard boxes, branches and brush will not be accepted. Please note that separate trucks collect the rubbish, recycling and leaves, so the leaves may be collected at a diff erent time of day. “Missed pick-ups” will not be conducted. Please contact Lorna Cerbone at 781-231-4036 with any questions. THE SOUNDS | SEE PAGE 19 BENEFIT OF TRANSFERRING HOME TO IRREVOCABLE TRUST Another benefi t of transO ne of the benefits of transferring your home to an irrevocable trust is that you start the fi ve year look back period if one of the goals is to protect your home against a possible nursing home stay. If structured as a grantor-type trust, the Trust would be able to sell the home and you would still be able to take advantage of the $500,000 capital gain exclusion on the sale of a principal residence for a married couple ($250,000 for a single person). If the home is sold, the sales proceeds would have to remain in Trust and invested by the Trustee, whether in a certificate of deposit, savings account, stock or bond portfolio, etc. The sale of the home does not start the five year look back period all over again. The Trustee may also reinvest the sales proceeds in another principal residence. The net sales proceeds of the home must be used to purchase the replacement home. If the purchase price of the replacement property is much less than the sales proceeds of the home that is sold, the diff erence would remain in the Trust to be invested accordingly. Typically, the Settlor of the Trust would have the right to receive income generated by the Trust. This income could serve to supplement the Settlor’s living expenses. The income would be distributed to the Settlor and taxed on his or her income tax return. If the Settlor were to go into a nursing home after the expiration of the fi ve year look back period, the Trust principal would be protected. Any net income derived by the Trust would be paid to the nursing home as part of the Patient Paid Amount (PPA), along with social security income, pension income, etc. ferring your home to an irrevocable trust as opposed to directly transferring your home to your children with a reserved life estate, is that the Trust will protect your children in the event of a divorce or civil litigation case against them. If you prefer, you can include a provision in the Trust that one child will serve as Trustee of your other child’s Trust share (and vice versa) or you can include a provision for the appointment of a disinterested Trustee. If a son or a daughter were to predecease you, his or her share would remain in Trust for his or her own children to be administered pursuant to the terms of the Trust. That child’s share would not constitute part of his or her probate estate which involve signifi cant time delays and cost. Furthermore, if your child died prior to you while receiving MassHealth benefits after the age of 55, MassHealth would not be able to pursue repayment from the Trust share belonging to your deceased child. MassHealth can only collect against the probate estate. This is another reason why a Trust is far superior than a deed to a child with a reserved life estate. With so many people living well into their 80’s and 90’s, it is not uncommon for a child to die before his or her parents. If that were to happen, the child’s estate would have to be probated as the “remainder” interest in the home was owned by the child at the time of his or her death. As part of the probate process, MassHealth is required to be notified of the probate proceedings. It is at this time that MassHealth will determine if benefits have been paid to the deceased. If so, MassHealth will file a claim in probate court in order to seek repayment. Placing the home in an irrevocable Trust would avoid these complications. MassHealth would not be able to lien the home as the home was not given directly to the deceased son or daughter. It was deeded to the irrevocable Trust instead.
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