Paying the price without a say: Melrose’s non-resident business owners struggle with tax hikes

MELROSE, MASS. — After years of budget cuts, voters in Melrose approved a $13.5 million override back in November. The result is a bump in everyone’s property taxes, but for some business owners who don’t live in Melrose, and don’t get to vote in Melrose, they’re struggling to figure out how they’re going to manage.

Shiachi Shieh and her husband built the building on the corner of Grove and Main Streets in Melrose back in 2015.

The couple runs their dental practice on the bottom floor, and the upstairs is rented out to other businesses.

“They’re all really nice people,” Shieh said. “We’re quiet people, we come here, do our work and we leave.”

However, things got a little financially strained this week, after receiving their new real estate tax bill.

“I was like ‘Wow, it’s a massive jump.’ It’s like a 30 percent jump to what it was before. And I’m like, ‘How am I going to do this now?’ Shieh recalled.

Residents in Melrose approved a $13.5 million tax override to help pay for its schools and other city agencies. However, for the Shieh’s, they don’t live in Melrose, so they didn’t get to vote on that ballot question

“They want to take the money, but they don’t want us to vote for it,” Sheih said.

Due to Melrose making a lot of budget cuts in the last two cycles, that means the bills business owners are receiving now are higher, but will even out later in the year, according to a city spokesperson.

Still though, Sheih says she has to find a way to come up with the money now.

“What do I do now? Do I increase my rent upstairs? What do I do? I don’t know. Should I charge the patients more? I’m not sure,” Sheih questioned.

Shieh has come to terms with just having to pay the bill, as long as she knows it’s getting to the right people.

“I went to city hall, they said it’s a permanent increase. There’s no way that it’s ever going to come down so I’m like, ‘It might as well be used for something good,’” Sheih said.

Boston 25 did reach out to the mayor’s office about these tax increases. They said that business owners have until February 2 to apply for a rebatement if they feel that their assessment was too high.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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