House Ways and Means Chairman Aaron Michlewitz discusses details of House leadership's fiscal 2025 budget bill at a news conference in the State Library on April 10, 2024. Photo by Sam Doran | State House News Service

Chairman Aaron Michlewitz, one of the most powerful people in the state legislature, sidestepped a question Wednesday about Mayor Michelle Wu’s controversial proposal to change Boston’s property tax code, which would affect real estate and constituents in his Boston district.

Wu wants to gain the authority to have commercial and industrial property owners temporarily shoulder a greater share of Boston’s property tax levy as a way to shield residential property owners from seeing dramatic increases in their bills.

Ashley Groffenberger, the city’s chief financial officer and collector-treasurer, has said that change would allow Boston to smooth out revenue-reducing drops in commercial property values “so that it’s not all hitting at once.” She said the proposal would not be “a forever change,” and does not seek to increase the total amount of taxes the city collects.

The idea is still being discussed and debated the municipal level, but should the Boston City Council pass it, Wu’s proposal would also need to be approved by the Legislature and governor.

Asked about the mayor’s proposal, Michlewitz said Wednesday, “It’s hard to comment on a proposal that hasn’t gotten here yet.”

Michlewitz represents the Third Suffolk District, made up of the Boston neighborhoods of the North End, Chinatown, South End, downtown, portions of the West End, Beacon Hill and the Back Bay, as well as the Boston waterfront. He also chairs the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, which oversees all matters relating to finances in the state.

“She’s working her way through the process right now at City Hall with the City Council. So, you know, there may be some changes in it. It’s a little early to kind of make a determination on whether we’re going to be supporting it or not,” he told reporters after a caucus of House Democrats on Wednesday.

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House Speaker Ron Mariano took a somewhat stronger stance on the mayor’s proposal on WBZ’s “Keller At Large” earlier this month, when he noted that the City Council has refrained from taking a vote on the idea so far.

“I think it’s kind of telling. If it was that good of an idea, you’d think that the council would embrace it and get it implemented,” he said. “So I don’t think there’s a real appetite right now from anyone in the House side to talk about increase revenues at all.”

Asked by the News Service if the mayor expects a vote on the plan, Wu’s office replied that it was going through the legislative process.

The council’s Committee on Government Operations held a hearing on the petition in April, and another hearing has been scheduled for May 30.

During the April hearing, Councilor Ed Flynn made it clear that he opposes the idea, suggesting that it might further hamstring the downtown office market.

“Now is not the time to increase commercial taxes or residential property taxes,” Flynn said.

Others on the committee were less direct, though several of Flynn’s colleagues voiced concerns about the long-term impact on real estate or on small businesses.

Michlewitz said he has been in touch with Wu about the plan, but did not reveal much about the content of those discussions.

“I have spoken to her about it a couple times … just about the framework that she was dealing with right now at City Hall related to it,” he said.