On March 11, one of our partners, Ivria Glass Fried, will be serving as a panelist in a day-long symposium on Town Meeting and Local Democracy. The symposium, entitled “Deliberation and Division: Making Change at the New England Town Meeting,” is free and open to the public. Ivria will be addressing contemporary challenges, innovation, and potential legislation. We invite you to participate in person or online. You may register here . More information on the symposium may be

G.L. c. 59, § 59 states that applicants for an abatement must apply to the assessors in writing on or before the last day for payment of the actual tax bill without incurring interest. If the application is received after this date, the application will still be deemed timely if the U.S. Postal Service postmark, or mark affixed by a private delivery service recognized by the IRS, is dated on or before the last day for payment.    The USPS has changed its operations to decrea

In Grafton & Upton Railroad Co. v. Burt , the Appeals Court upheld dismissal of claims against Hopedale officials, ruling that their good faith efforts to raise water supply concerns were protected by common-law immunity and did not constitute civil rights violations.     The case arose after the Chair of the Hopedale Water & Sewer Commission, raised concerns with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency about potential impacts on the town’s water supply from a Superfund rela

Got a Penny? The federal government’s decision to stop minting pennies may raise questions on providing change for payments made in cash, particularly tax payments. The Division of Local Services has released BUL 2026-01 , Potential Penny Shortage, which addresses those questions.