Acushnet Select Board Holds Commercial Tax Shift at 135 Percent, Names Two Officials

ACUSHNET — November 13, 2025 — Acushnet Select Board holds commercial tax shift at 135 percent and makes two interim appointments. Meeting Thursday, the board unanimously rejected a three-to-one Board of Assessors recommendation to lower the commercial shift factor to 125 percent, citing concern that residential taxpayers could face a double financial hit if the Old Colony Regional Technical High School building project advances. Principal Assessor Ms. Koska reported that certified new growth came in at $193,698, just above her earlier $192,400 projection, and that the change shifted the overall levy by only $74. The board also unanimously appointed town resident Margaret Orlowski as selectmen's executive assistant, replacing the departing Sydney Bavaris, and granted interim signatory authority — explicitly excluding grants, procurement, and high-dollar transactions — to town accountant Jamie Velasquez while Town Administrator Jamie Kelly recovers from knee replacement surgery. A November 18 ballot vote on a new Old Colony high school, noon to 8 p.m. at Acushnet Elementary School, drew repeated emphasis from board members.