Nearly $65.6 million of property may not be taxed in town this year because the owners receive charitable, religious or educational exemptions. Some selectmen are asking if all the charitable exemptions are justified.

On Monday, Aug. 25, the Goffstown Board of Selectmen received a list of nearly 60 properties that receive charitable, religious and educational exemptions.

The total value of all the exempted charitable, religious, and educational property in Goffstown is approximately $65.6 million, according to town records.

Other than Saint Anselm College, the single most valuable property listed was the Goffstown branch of the Greater Manchester Family YMCA, whose newly renovated facility and 15 acres on Goffstown Back Road are worth almost $6.6 million, according to the proposed town assessments for this year.

State law is very specific about how Saint Anselm College pays taxes to the town. Its dining rooms, dormitories and kitchens are taxable, but the land and other buildings are not, according to town assessor Scott Bartlett. The YMCA branch, on the other hand, has a 100 percent exemption.

Selectman Scott Gross said some people in town viewed the YMCA as not much different from any other fitness facility, day care or day camp.

“I have heard the concern from my constituents,” Gross said. “Numerous constituents have asked me why the YMCA is granted a charitable exemption.” Gross said it might be appropriate to limit the exemption, but not eliminate it, instead taxing the YMCA on only part of its $6.6 million value.

Gross, who is a member of the YMCA, said the fact that it has historically received the exemption in the past does not mean it should continue to receive it indefinitely into the future. He said the mission of the organization has changed over time and today is mostly about fitness and wellness.

“What is going back into the community in Goffstown for a charitable purpose?” Gross asked.

Hal Jordan, president of the YMCA, said the mission of the organization is to make its facilities and many programs available to everyone regardless of age, sex, income status or ability.

Of 5,500 members between the Goffstown and Manchester branches, about 1,500 receive some form of financial assistance, according to Jordan. Nearly half of the total membership is based at the Goffstown branch, known as the Allard Center, but a town-by-town breakdown of where those members live was not available by press time.

The YMCA also is the largest provider of day camps and child care in Southern New Hampshire. Both those programs also have discounts as well as scholarships. Jordan said an estimated 7,300 people in the area served by the YMCA have benefited from financial assistance worth $856,000.

Moreover, the YMCA opens its buildings up to about 60 other nonprofit agencies, free of charge.

“You couldn’t do all these things and have to pay taxes. That is why we are exempted,” Jordan said.

Nick Campasano, chairman of the Board of Selectmen, said the YMCA, according to the law, is a charity.

“They meet the criteria,” Campasano said. “They are a charitable organization. Speaking for myself, I don’t want to target one organization.”

The board instead has asked town staff to research possible changes to state law. Town Administrator Sue Desruisseaux said the law on charitable organizations is not as specific as it is on schools and churches.

“We’re looking to get a little more specificity so that all towns treat them all in the same way, to have more consistency,” Desruisseaux said.