Property tax hikes: Five towns say no, Needham says yes
Voters in five municipalities rejected tax increases Tuesday night. But one town, Needham, bucked the trend.
Needham voters approved $1.9 million to operate the High Rock School, scheduled to open this fall for sixth grade students. With 99 percent of the vote tabulated, the Town Clerk’s office said the vote was 8,885 in favor and 7,731 opposed.
“I am so proud of this community,” said Michael Greis, School Committee chairman. “Even in an extraordinarily painful financial environment we have reaffirmed our commitment to opening the High Rock 6th Grade Center.”
Walpole voters defeated the $7 million debt exclusion for a new library with 6,108 in favor and 6,976 opposed. Audree Dyson, a library supporter who had worked to promote the override, was disappointed. "I guess we'll have to keep doing what we've been doing," she said. "Things like putting out tarps when it rains."
In Mattapoisett, voters rejected a $4,580,000 override for a fire station by a 1,973 to 1,809, according to unofficial returns. The current station was built in 1952 and doesn’t meet accessibility or safety codes.
‘‘Everybody is pretty bummed right now,’’ Fire Chief Ronald Scott said Tuesday night. ‘‘It’s the economic times. Everyone is just scared.’’
Brockton's voters defeated all three overrides on the ballot. The trio totalled $3.59 million. The biggest loser was the public safety override asking for $1.13 million, with 9,847 in favor and 20,230 opposed.
The $216,000 proposal for the library failed with 10,349 in favor and 19,770 opposed. And the $2.25 million override for the school department failed, with 12,032 in favor and 18,114 opposed.
"I'm disappointed, but I understand," said Brockton Library Director Harry Williams. "I think people are just focused on the dollars in their wallets." About 72 percent of the city's registered total cast ballots.
In East Bridgewater, about 82 percent of the registered voters in East Bridgewater cast ballots, and they resoundingly defeated a $1.25 million permanent increase to their taxes to fund a capital fund.
Selectwoman Theresa McNulty wasn’t surprised by the results. ‘‘I think the results are reflective of the bad economic situation we’re in, and people’s fear over how long it may last.’’
In Newburyport, the request for $7.8 million to pay off debt and free up cash for restoring school programs and other priorities lost by a thin margin, 5,049 votes to 4,988.
“I’m very stunned by how close it was,” said James Shanley, city council president. “I’m really happy at the same time… because it means enough people took the time to look closely at the issue and think about it.”
He said he expected it to fail because of the tough economic climate, and he noted that there was no organized campaign with bumper stickers and lawn signs.
Statewide, voters have rejected nearly two-thirds of property tax overrides this year.
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Are people not getting the message yet? Why is it that the affluent towns pass overrides and the poorer towns don't? Will people ever see what the logical extension of this means? It means the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. And to think that a lot of people wanted to eliminate the state income tax so that more money would be raised at the local level. So home values in Weston and Needham would triple and Brockton would eliminate schools
The fools in Belchertown plan to spend $10,000,000 on a library and the town has a part time fire department. It is time to put out the fire.
It is long past time to repeal the poisonous Proposition 2-1/2. We do not need to wait for a Marblehead resident to die.
Hang on kids this economic ride is going to get bumpier. Put simply, you ain't seen nothin yet folks.
In answer to comment 1.Did it ever occure to you that people in the affluent towns may have more expendable money.The residents in the poorer town are barely making ends meet.And its looks like it is going to get worse.
good they deserve to pay much higher taxes, remember, democrat = bigger government & higher taxers...republican = smaller government & lower taxes.
Yeah tell that to George W smaller government yeah right.
It seems that the tough economy is going to force the concept of regionalization of town services. As the smaller and/or less affluent communities struggle to fund all of their departments (fire, police, dpw, schools), it becomes more and more apparent that we need to be thinking about consolidation. Why do two or three small neighboring communities need separate fire departments, separate dpws...Wouldn't consolidation save money and improve the range of services? It's worth taking a look at a new way to do business.
No one gets it. There are other ways to raise money. For example. If the people above who are for raising taxes volunteered to run a fund campain, they could call everyone in town and ask the people who voted for the tax to donate the money. Lets say a Override would cost an extra 250 a year. If 6000 people that voted yes would pledge that amount for 5 years you could raise 7.5 million. Put that money into a private trust fund and the trustees could make a donation to the town using the proceeds from that money every year,
Get the picture. Churches do it all of the time. It's private money so the state can't govern it or the diocese can't confiscate it.
But no one does it. We need new ideas.
>> "I guess we'll have to keep doing what we've been doing," she said. "Things like putting out tarps when it rains."
People all around the world do just that with less than perfectly antiseptic spaces.
And the poor Mattapoisett fire department. 1952 just wasn't good enough for architecture. As for accessibility upgrades for the station's wheelchair-bound firefighters, maybe a ramp. That would be a good weekend project.
When will the cities and town get rid of the fat and stop holding a gun to taxpayers heads asking for more money. Folks keep saying no and if they don't get rid of the fat get rid of the decision makers.
the majority have spoken! increase taxes at all government levels:fed.state,local.this way the non-government worker will be unemployed,and the government worker can pay themselves.
I wish we could vote on municipal union contracts. Its always the libraries and schools that are up for votes, never the overfunded pensions. Look at where the costs really are in Massachusetts.
Some places do more with less. We do less with more in this state.
The further my tax dollar travels the more wasteful it becomes. I would much rather have a reduced state tax and in its place a higher local tax: locally based taxes are always more effectively managed and spent rather than shoveling hard earned dollars into the money pit that has become centralized Massachusetts government. The further your tax dollars travels from your wallet the more diluted it becomes.
This blogger might want to review your comment before posting it.
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