East Longmeadow Assessors Approve $28.4 Million Fiscal 2027 Preliminary Tax Warrant

EAST LONGMEADOW -- June 23, 2026, East Longmeadow assessors approve $28.4 million fiscal 2027 preliminary real estate warrant. The Board of Assessors, with Chair Hayden Smith and members Marilyn Vandini and Marty Grudgeon, voted unanimously Tuesday to approve a preliminary real estate warrant of $28,358,560.21 and a companion Community Preservation Act warrant of $224,481.64, both based on half of the prior year's bills, with first-quarter tax bills to be mailed before July 1 and due August 4 because August 1 falls on a Saturday. The board also approved a fiscal 2026 supplemental real estate warrant of $20,481.30 covering homes that received certificates of occupancy between January 1 and June 30, 2026, and $7,989.63 in motor vehicle excise abatements. In the meeting's most substantive discussion, member Grudgeon pressed Director Carrie Ann on whether any soil testing underlies the town's historically adopted average farmland valuation rating, asking "if we're going to make a decision on it, why don't we just have" proper data, the board voted to hold at the average for fiscal 2027 while directing staff to investigate the state's soil-rating methodology before next year's cycle.