Legislation will protect property owners from “equity theft”
BOSTON – Representative Kathy LaNatra joined her colleagues in the Massachusetts House of Representatives in passing “An Act relative to municipal tax lien procedures and protections for property owners in the Commonwealth,” which would align current statute with a recent decision by the U.S. Supreme Court. The legislation secures the rights of property owners to reclaim any excess equity to which they are entitled after all taxes and fees are repaid to the municipalities following a tax foreclosure, while substantially increasing notifications and other protections for property owners throughout the foreclosure process.
“This legislation brings Massachusetts statutes in line with recent Court decisions and ensures  the rights of property owners are protected in the foreclosure process,” said Representative Kathy LaNatra (D – Kingston). “This legislation ensures cities and towns are paid what they are owed and property owners hard-earned equity is protected, making the Commonwealth a better place for working families. Thank you to Speaker Mariano, Chairman Cusack, and Chairman Michlewitz for their work on this important legislation.”
The Supreme Court ruled in Tyler v. Hennepin County, Minnesota that state laws allowing municipalities to retain equity from a foreclosed property, in excess of any taxes and fees owed by a property owner, were unconstitutional under the Takings Clause of the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. This ruling had an impact on the municipal tax lien foreclosure process in the Commonwealth, since Massachusetts law also allowed municipalities or third parties that purchased tax liens to keep excess equity following a property foreclosure for unpaid taxes. Underscoring the need for legislative action, a recent ruling by the Massachusetts Superior Court (Ashley M. Mills v. City of Springfield) found that the property foreclosure process in Massachusetts was unconstitutional, a ruling that was supported by legal briefings from the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office.
This bill ensures that Massachusetts law is constitutional throughout all municipalities in the Commonwealth, and fair to those subject to municipal tax lien foreclosure proceedings. This legislation does the following:
• Requires that a detailed accounting be taken following a foreclosure in a tax taking of the excess equity that is available;
• Any excess equity must be returned to the former owner within 60 days;
• Allows for retroactive claims for excess equity from May 25, 2023, until date of passage;
Updates notice requirements where the subject property is residential;
• Allows former owners the opportunity to file a claim in Superior Court if there is a dispute on the amount of excess equity owed;
• Increases the maximum length for repayment agreements for owed taxes from five to 10 years;
• Decrease the amount for a down payment for the repayment agreements from 25 percent to 10 percent and;
• Establishes a special commission to conduct a comprehensive study relative to the current law and practices around the collection of delinquent property tax revenue by municipalities in the Commonwealth.
• Having passed the House of Representatives 154-0, the bill now goes to the Senate for its consideration.

The Halifax Farmer’s Market will set up its pop-ups at the Halifax Town Hall on the following dates throughout the summer:

• Saturday, June 22
• Saturday, June 29
• Saturday, July 6
• Saturday, July 13
• Saturday, July 20
• Saturday, July 27
• Saturday, August 3
• Saturday, August 17
• Saturday, August 31
• Saturday, September 14
• Saturday, September 28
• Saturday, October 12
• Saturday, October 26

The fee for vendors to participate is a donation to the Halifax Helping Hands Food Pantry.

This coming Saturday the June 1st Plympton Public Library Speakers Forum will be on hiatus. In its place there will be a community discussion on “Accessibility at the Library”.
The Plympton Public Library was recently awarded a grant for $20,000 from the American Library Association. This grant is intended to help make the library more accessible for visitors with disabilities. The community will help decide how to spend this funding most effectively.
Please join us on June 1 at 10:30 a.m. for our monthly First Saturday program and to participate in the decision-making on how this funding will be spent! This meeting will take place at the Plympton Town House. Refreshments will be provided.
This is an important meeting that I hope you will attend.
John
John Traynor • 62 Crescent Stree • Plympton, MA 02367 • 781-585-6617 cell
[email protected]

KINGSTON,- Do you have a story about what it was like growing up in Kingston? Does the house you live in have an interesting history? Do you have an old photograph of a special event from decades ago?  Maybe you know an artisan or a businessperson with a story to tell. Perhaps you would like to share your recollections of our town with a larger audience?

“Tales of Jones River Village: Kingston’s 300 years” will celebrate and commemorate Kingston’s 300th anniversary and will be available for purchase in the fall of 2025, ahead of Kingston’s 300th anniversary in 2026. There has been strong support from the community in the way of articles and photographs, and the publishers are still actively seeking additional community contributions.
This new illustrated history will feature short narratives and fresh accounts which will add to established town histories, chronicling the town and its people through different eras. Contributors to the book have come from the community, and the publishers are seeking additional contributions from interested parties.
“We want to hear from anyone who may have a story to share about life in Kingston,” said Ken Brack, a director and the project’s Managing Editor, who added, “These could be ‘then and now’ items from a neighborhood, snapshots of family histories, postcards or other historical items.” He added, “You don’t need to be a professional writer to be a part of this book. We have an editorial team that will work with contributors.”
The publishers anticipate that the book will be approximately 250 pages in length, and approximately 9.5 by 12 inches in size. Because of the length of time required to design and print a book of this size, the publishers are asking that all material for possible inclusion in the book be submitted by the end of June.
Whether it’s an article on a family business, a family history, a story about veterans and first responders, an interesting story about a house, the publishers want to hear from you.
The publishers of this book are not affiliated with the town’s 300th committee; this is a separate venture. To learn more about the book, please visit http://www.kingston300book.com). To inquire about submitting an article or a story idea, please contact Ken Brack, managing editor, [email protected]. You could also contact directors Tom Vendetti, [email protected] , Jan Guidoboni, [email protected], or project editor Jim Farrell, [email protected].

Learn how to prevent mosquito and tick-borne diseases from Erin Morrill and Blake Dinius on Wednesday, May 8 at 6 p.m. at the Adams Center, 33 Summer Street, Kingston.
The program will discuss mosquito and tick-borne bites, life cycles, effective repellants, eliminating stagnant water, and how to reduce the insect population. The pair will also present informative tick and mosquito myth busting nuggets during their presentation. Morrill, is the Community Liaison for the Plymouth Mosquito Control Project, which educates the public about mosquito resources and services available to the community. Dinius, an Entomologist from the Plymouth Extension, will address the tick population.
To register for this event, please visit – https://kingstonpubliclibrary.org. For more information, you can contact Steven Miller, Reference Librarian at (781) 585-0517 x6272 or at [email protected].