Winthrop and Franklin vote down overrides; Holbrook passes three

The voters in Winthrop have cast their votes and with an emphatic NO, the override was stiffly defeated. Now it is up the the Town elected officials to do their jobs, sharpen their pencils and start looking at the models that the successful towns are using to reduce spending and maximize resources.

Good luck to them. I would not place my bet on any positive outcomes given the history of the town management.

These towns need to come to grasps that they need to manage and budget their money better. They got an easy ride during the real estate boom, now they must learn to budget like it was done before!

The real estate boom had no affect on town revenues - as no matter how great the appreciation, the tax levy increase was still capped by prop 2.5, increasing values only worked to reduce the tax rate per thousand, such that at 9.30 per thousand it is now at an almost all time historic low. The property owners, not the town government, benefited from the increase in values. Demands for "better management" without detail bespeak a continued intense interest in taxes, but no commensurate interest in the community or the education of its children. Criticism of town government is important, but it is hollow without an equivalent willingness to get involved in town government and work to solve perceived problems.

We're looking at an override vote this coming Saturday - also likely to fail - only this time I'm not sure where the funds are going to come from. Even sharp pencils cost money.

I understand the reluctance on the part of my neighbors to carry an extra burden. And I share their frustration about fiscal mismanagement.

At the same time, I also see that our town cannot sustain the costs of providing services without the additional funds. Our library has lost it's accredidation already; our number two firestation isn't always open due to staffing shortages.

I'm not one to proclaim gloom and doom as a way to make my point. But I think we can all agree that our quality of life as a community has been, and will continue to be affected if a solution is not found.

Doing nothing but pointing fingers is not an option.

I am happy to see the town of winthrop was forced into being more responsible with thier budget. I would have preferred that this vote was only for property owners, who would being paying for this overide,rather than every resident 18 yrs and over. If that were the case, it would have been much more than a 2-1 trouncing of the overide!!

Many cities and towns are strapped financially, some are all but bankrupt. Massachusetts is about $1 billion in the red, the 5th most indebted state in the country. This is only going to get worse. The credit crunch is far from over, the real estate bust still has a long way to go. Surging inflation, a deep and long recession, a plunging US stock market, times are going to be very tough for the foreseeable future.

Get used to this folks.

If you look at the way most of these requests for overrides have gone down to defeat throughout Masschusetts, it has happened when the leaders bundle the proposals in to one total dollar amount for all the services needing it. This method has failed time & again. They are not allowing the local taxpayer to actually make the decision as to where their tax dollars should go. The Town leaders need to go back to the drawing board & bring their requests back to the people individually, so they can select & vote for the funding for those services that they deem most important to their community & thereby guarantee that the funding allotted as directed 100% to that town service. Let the community decide on a case by case basis.

Towns need to prioritize their spending and eliminate those items that are low on the list. Does every town really need a Senior Center and a Library? Couldn't towns join together and form regional libraries, and other services? Does every school system need to provide a vast array of extracurricular activities when students are not proficient in math, science, geography...

Think outside the box folks, there seems to be a serious case of keeping up with the "Jones" or rather "Newtons" going on in municipal government.

Hold a vote for only Property Owners? Why don't we restrict woman and anyone who wasn't born in Winthrop while we are at it?

The sad part is those who vote against this most likely or in most cases do not have children in the educational system, do not have loved ones who work as teachers who see them spend hundreds of dollars out of their own low salary paychecks to give kids a chance at getting half the education of other cities and towns. The crunch on other services will sure be felt as well. Those who voted NO will sure to be the first to complain when the fire dept doesn't show up in time to save their house or when the police are not able to make it in time to stop a home invasion...sad sad sad

The solution to our problems has been found. RELY LESS ON GOVERNMENT. GOVERNMENT WASTES AND RUINS EVERYTHING!!!

Lou,

I take it you're from my town.

We are in a dire situation in this state, and Prop 2 1/2 only allows for so many tax increases without voting. Sure, everyone's home prices are dropping, but the state and federal funding is dropping too. Budget responsibility has nothing to do with asking for an override when the tax laws don't even cover inflation.

Bridgewater doesn't have a library, the rec department was decimated, and the senior center is running on donations. I'm not sure how much "excess" is left to cut. But everyone wants to point to the debt exclusions (the HS, the police department's new building - which was LONG overdue, and the fire department's new building where the tower truck is located - a necessity for anyone with a building over 2 stories)...as well as the ones coming up soon (the middle school's rebuilding, and the old HS's reconditioning to become the new middle school).

The time is well overdue for citizens to step up and do what's right. And, if you don't, you should expect your housing prices to fall even further. Because, let's face it, who wants to live in a town with no amenities?

Do me a favor, and just make an informed decision. Voting based on your pocketbook obviously hasn't worked.

As a teacher, I think it is fun when the opponents of overrides have atrocious spelling and grammar. Coincidence? I don't think so.....

This override really needed to pass in Winthrop. They are talking about cutting 16 teaching positions!! I agree that historically town leadership has mismanaged alot of things. That being said, the price of almost everything has gone up except for the revenue to support our community. The average property tax bill would have increased by approximately $250 per year. Considering what is at risk for us to lose, it would have made sense to vote yes. I have lived in the community for over 30 years. This is a big dissapointment.

Those of us who live in Winthrop, but are not teachers, firefighters or police, and who do own homes and don't have children in the school system, are sensitive to the budget constraints that our town government is dealing with. However, it's not just municipalities that are facing these issues. Corporations are also having to examine how money is spent, and are forced to use cost-cutting measures -- including layoffs. As private business has for some time now, perhaps the Town should discontinue paying for health insurance once the teacher or town employee has retired. That in itself would be an enormous savings --- and that is why I voted against the override.

I will venture a guess that they are a product of the poor public education that at the end of 12 years, bestowed upon them a HS diploma.

The Tax RATES are capped at an increase of 2.5%. If property values increase 20%, the revenues increase 20% without the need for an overide. In fact the cities and towns can increase revenues an additional 2.5% without an overide.
Over the last decade property tax VALUES went up at approximatly 4-5 times the rate of inflation, depending on the city or town. The Municipalities spent all this money and asked for more, and when they did not get the overide, cut popular programs.
Now the cities and towns are in trouble, they were counting on the money Duvall promised and property values are decreasing with a coresponding decrease in revenues, while inflation is going up.
The citizens are already paying for sports, art, and trash pickup in many communities. The fire stations and police stations are already closed, the kids can barely read and write, town offices open at 10:00 close at 4:00 and take an hour for lunch. They do not pay the plow guys.
Bottom line why should we pay more? There is nothing left to cut. The Cities and Towns have pritatized everything, they just continue to collect money.

Halt the generous pension system in favor of a 401K plan, paying for retired worker health plans, and do away with the buy back of unused vacation and sick time - all private industry practices, then we can talk about overrides- if necessary!

I love folks who think that "Sharpening the pencils" is the way to solve these issues. They're the same folks who will whine when their town becomes less desirable due to declining education and public services, thus lowering property values (even further) and forcing further cuts in services.

Bra-vo

Are we still discussing the myth of underpaid teachers?

How many private companies START a person at 40k with a pension, 100% health care, have catered low interest loans, AND only work 9 months out of the year?

If teachers where underpaid, we wouldn't have an abundance of them looking for jobs.

It is time to say enough is enough to school systems and demand they be accountable for the billions we spend on them each year. I for one am glad communities have finally stopped writing blank checks.

Keith
As a teacher, if you could tell me in what town I could start at 40K and have 100% of my health care paid for, sign me up. Please don't speak if you don't know the facts. As an active union member who has negotiated several contracts, I know what is out there and what you are stating is just not true, or if it is it is truly a rare situation.

To Winthrop_Realist:

I was the one who stated that the Town Managers need to sharpen their pencils. What exactly do you think attracts home buyers to WInthrop? Is it the dead town center, the lack of a standard grocery store, the 8 or so liquor stores, the miserable school system, the lack of a movie theater or any cultural activies,the Treatment Center, the lack of a hospital or even an urgent care center??? The list goes on and on and the town continues to go down the tubes.

I won't be one of the ones whining because I got out when I realized, not being raised in Winthrop, that it had a" stepford wives culture" with no one questioning what was going on with the decades of Winthrop mentality running the town, By the way, has their ever been a Selectwoman elected or is/was Turner the only female with any type of title in Town Hall?

As quoted by a real estate expert today on NBC, the top three things that a buyer looks for in a community are:
1) Fabulous school systerm
2) A thriving town center
3) Not more than 1 house for sale every three blocks.

Three strikes and you are out!!!

If I had children and still lived in WInthrop, I would get out to a community that meets the above citeria while real estate prices are still on the low end and hope that you can sell your place to someone who does not care about the above.Better yet, maybe one of the selectman will make you an offer...they don't want terroists( oh, tourists!) in the town.

Good Luck!