Town of Abington

Calendar 2023 Excise bills went out on March 12th! Check out our PDF ( https://5il.co/2gjzu ) for all sorts of information about Excise Taxes!

Hi! This is a friendly reminder that Fiscal Year 2024 Real Estate Exemption forms are due back in the Assessing Department by April 1st! If you’re over 70 (within income/asset limitations), a Disabled Veteran, or Blind you can check out the Assessors' Page for a brochure ( https://5il.co/2ch9g ) on eligibility.

Registration for summer recreation programs will open Tuesday, March 26th for Abington residents and Tuesday, April 2nd for non-residents. To register visit: www.abingtonrec.com

Abington's Annual St. Patrick's Day Parade will be held on Sunday, March 17th at 1PM. 🍀Starting at 11AM try to avoid the area from 7/11 to St. Patrick's Square (Abington Center where Santander Bank and Bailey's Garage are located) and the surrounding side streets. They are used for staging the parade. 🍀Around 12:15PM Washington Street (starting at Bedford Street Route 18) will close. As the parade starts and continues north on Washington the surrounding roads will be restricted. 🍀Stay clear of railroad tracks. 🍀Be mindful of the parade vehicles and give them plenty of space. 🍀Abide by no parking signs. 🍀Enjoy this Abington tradition Thank you to the St. Patrick's Day Parade committee and all of its volunteers for their hard work and dedication.

Presidential Primary voting will be held tomorrow, Tuesday, March 5, 2024 at Beaver Brook Elementary School for all precincts. Polls are open from 8AM - 8PM. *Please note a previous version incorrectly listed Abington polls' opening time.

Excise Tax bills will be mailed March 12.

The Planning Board will be holding a public hearing at Town Hall on March 6 at 6PM regarding the amendments to Abington's Zoning Bylaw Chapter 175. These amendments include the new MBTA Communities overlay district. Residents are encouraged to attend! Town Moderator Shawn Reilly hosted an informative discussion with Abington Town Planner Liz Shea, Judi Barrett from Barrett Planning Group LLC and Planning Board member Rick Collins to discuss the MBTA Communities zoning changes that will be voted on at Town Meeting this spring. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rekhPIH6zTk

There is still an opportunity to early vote for the Presidential Primary at the Town Clerk's office. Any registered voter in Abington can vote in-person at the Town Clerk's office at Town Hall during early voting. Early voting is: February 24 - March 1st Monday - Thursday from 8:30AM - 4:30PM Friday 8:30AM - 12:30PM Saturday, February 24 from 9AM - 3PM Town Office Building, 500 Gliniewicz Way, Abington, MA 02351

Abington's Planning Department and the Planning Board are hard at work to ensure Abington is compliant with the MBTA Communities requirements. Learn more about MBTA Communities and Abington's work to create an overlay zoning district which allows multi-family housing by right. https://youtu.be/rekhPIH6zTk

ARJWW currently has two water main breaks in Abington. Sections of the following areas are affected: Bedford Street, West Chapel Street, Belmont Street, Bank Street, and Orange Street. The crews are working to fix the water main breaks and will have the water on as soon as possible. The water station at at the Abington Rockland Joint Water Works located at 366 Centre Ave, Rockland is open to fill containers. Please call the main office if you have any questions: 781-878-0901.

Early voting for the Presidential Primary is currently available! Any registered voter in Abington can vote in-person at the Town Clerk's office at Town Hall during early voting. Early voting is: February 24 - March 1st Monday - Thursday from 8:30AM - 4:30PM Friday 8:30AM - 12:30PM Saturday, February 24 from 9AM - 3PM Town Office Building, 500 Gliniewicz Way, Abington, MA 02351

The work continues! Today, engineers were again surveying the Memorial Bridge at Island Grove. The engineers were in a boat surveying underneath the Bridge. Once surveying is complete they will dig into the Bridge design. An accurate survey is especially important because the original survey referenced in the deed was a 'sketch'. This new survey creates an important understanding of Memorial Bridge and the surrounding wetlands. The design process for Memorial Bridge's redesign and reconstruction is being jointly funded by the Massachusetts Historical Commission and Community Preservation Funds.

Early voting for the Presidential Primaries will be open February 24 - March 1 at the Town Clerk's office at Town Hall. Any Abington registered voter can participate in early voting. Early voting is open the following days and hours: Monday - Thursday from 8:30AM - 4:30PM Friday 8:30AM - 12:30PM Saturday, February 24 from 9AM - 3PM Town Office Building, 500 Gliniewicz Way, Abington, MA 02351

Abington FinCom is hard at work to crafting the FY25 budget. Abington relies heavily on State aid to fund the Town’s budget. The State is currently collecting less taxes than previously estimated which is creating many unknowns for funding in FY25. Keeping this in mind FinComm has the following goals for next year's budget: •Maintain department services at the same level •Create a balanced budget •Provide some capital items (bigger one-time purchases like roof repairs, police cruisers or DPW trucks, etc) with funds left from the FY24 budget. •Allocate some funds to the stabilization fund Learn more about the Finance Committee in their committee spotlight. https://www.abingtonma.gov/site-home/news/finance-committee-spotlight

Department Spotlight: Finance Committee The Finance Committee, a group made up of all volunteers, is meeting often and working hard to prepare a balanced budget to present at Town Meeting. The Finance Committee, or FinComm, is responsible for reviewing the finances of the Town, from income to spending, and making sure that the Town is using the residents' money wisely and effectively. The largest responsibilities are reviewing and helping prepare and balance the yearly budget and providing recommendations to the people of the Town on the warrant articles presented at every Town Meeting. Read more about FinComm and their short and long term goals. https://www.abingtonma.gov/site-home/news/finance-committee-spotlight

Our Town Clerk's office is in full swing to prepare for the Presidential Primary election which will take place on March 5 at the Beaver Brook School. Mail-in voting applications are processed through a rigorous, detailed system to ensure accuracy. Thousands of requested ballots are being mailed. When they are returned by voters, ballots will be sorted and stored in a locked safe. Early voting is also an option in the 2024 Presidential Primaries. Any registered voter in Abington can vote in-person at the Town Clerk's office at Town Hall during early voting. Early voting is: February 24 - March 1st Monday - Thursday from 8:30AM - 4:30PM Friday 8:30AM - 12:30PM Saturday, February 24 from 9AM - 3PM

Memorial Bridge at Island Grove is undergoing reconstruction and repair! The long-awaited project is currently in the design phase. Engineers surveyed the bridge and surrounding wetlands on February 6, 2024 as part of their design work. The design process is being funded jointly by the Massachusetts Historical Commission and Community Preservation Funds. The bridge and its arch are historically significant and were dedicated in memory of Civil War Veterans.

Friendly Reminder! Q3 Real Estate and Personal Property are due February 1st. Payments can be made by mail, in-person at the Treasurer/Collectors Office at Town Hall or online at https://unipaygold.unibank.com/customerinfo.aspx

If you are a registered voter, you should have received a vote-by mail application from the Secretary of State. If you are not interested in voting by mail, no action is required. If you would like to vote by mail in the Presidential Primary or General Election, please fill out your application COMPLETELY, including signing your name and the date. The Town Clerk's office appreciates voters returning the application ASAP. Learn more about the vote-by-mail process at https://www.abingtonma.gov/site-home/news/2024-voting-information

Department Spotlight Assessors’ Office Jodie Hurst the Administrative Clerk in the Assessors’ Office has been employed with the town for almost 22 years and in this department for 15 years! She enjoys answering resident questions and helping residents understand their property and real estate taxes. Jodie developed a very helpful guide to understanding a residential property card. Find it on the Assessors’ webpage at https://www.abingtonma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif236/f/uploads/understanding_prcs.pdf A residential property card is a detailed record created and updated by the Assessors’ office to determine the value of your property. Residents can find their property cards on the Assessors’ database at https://gis.vgsi.com/abingtonma/.