Article 31 Granucci Statement¶
ARTICLE 31: HOME RULE LEGISLATION / CHAPTER 61B EXEMPTION
Town Meeting Handout | Carmine Granucci, Town Meeting Member, Precinct 21
What This Article Does
Authorizes the Select Board to file a home rule petition exempting Arlington from granting
Chapter 61B tax classifications to private country clubs. Chapter 61B provides a 75% reduction
in assessed value for recreational land. It was designed for farms and open spaces, but private
country clubs have used it to dramatically reduce their tax obligations.
Article 31 preserves the Town’s right of first refusal and ability to collect roll-back taxes on
existing 61B land. It only affects future applications. Under 61B’s 5-acre minimum requirement,
only these two country clubs qualify in Arlington.
The Tax Disparity (Land-Only, FY2026)
Property
Tax Per Acre
vs. Residential
Belmont CC (61B Exemption)
~$545
1.5%
Winchester CC (Golf, No 61B) ~$4,495 13%
Arlington Residential (Land Only)
~$35,258
100%
Source: Arlington Assessor FY2026 data. Residential figure based on land-only assessed values for sample Arlington single-family homes.
Revenue Impact
Scenario
Annual Impact
Belmont CC: additional revenue if 61B removed
+$18,254
Winchester CC: revenue at risk if they re-enroll in 61B
-
$24,964
Total annual revenue at stake
$43,218
Revenue estimates provided by the Town Manager’s Office and Director of Assessments using the Board of Assessors’ land valuation
methodology.
Why Act Now: The Revolving Door
61B applications are filed annually. Winchester CC has toggled in and out of 61B multiple times:
full 61B (1992–2003), dropped it (2004–2008), split the property to put 40 acres back on 61B at
just $150K–$300K (2009–2025), then dropped it again for 2026. Without Article 31, nothing
prevents either club from reapplying next year.
Institutional Support
Select Board
3-1 Favorable Action (1 recusal)
Board of Assessors
Unanimous Support
Precedent: Belmont passed 229-3 (Nov 2023, filed as H.3970). Swampscott passed March
2024 (H.3917, reported favorably by Joint Committee on Revenue). Arlington would be the third
town to act.
A private country club should not receive a 75% tax discount while Arlington homeowners are
asked to pay more through overrides. Everyone should pay their fair share. Please vote YES
on Article 31.
