Tax hike for school projects OK'd
Marblehead plan now goes on ballot
Proposed tax increases for two Marblehead school building projects received overwhelming support at the Annual Town Meeting last week even as the town received positive news about state funding.
In separate two-thirds votes, the meeting Tuesday approved the town's expenditure of $21.8 million to overhaul the Village School, and $395,000 for a study related to the proposed construction of a new elementary school to replace the Glover and Eveleth schools. Both votes were contingent on passage of debt exclusions at a special election to be scheduled for next month.
The votes came just a day after the town learned that the state's School Building Authority, which had agreed to reimburse the town for 40 percent of the costs of the Glover-Eveleth study, has now also agreed to provide similar reimbursement for the Village School project. The news prompted school officials to expand the scope of the project, adding $2.2 million to the price tag.
"We were so happy to be able to move forward with the Massachusetts School Building Authority and have them share the costs, and we appreciate the town's support," School Committee member Patricia Blackmer said, adding, "We still have to get to the debt exclusion overrides in June."
Proposed tax increases also fared well in two other area towns last Tuesday.
In Rockport, voters approved, 1,230 to 509, a $2,735,000 debt exclusion to fund a fire truck, four school buses, school technology, town computer systems, school roof repairs, and firefighter breathing apparatus.
Two proposed tax hikes to fund capital needs advanced at Swampscott's Town Meeting. Voters authorized $300,000 for a fire truck and $150,000 for road improvements, contingent on passage of capital exclusions at a special election to take place before Sept. 15.
The state law Proposition 2 1/2 caps the annual increase for a community's property taxes to 2.5 percent plus new growth revenues. A debt exclusion raises the cap temporarily to repay debt. A capital exclusion raises the cap for a year to pay for capital projects.
Marblehead's Village School is an upper elementary school that serves all of the town's fourth- through sixth-grade students. The Eveleth and Glover are companion schools that together serve students from kindergarten to third grade in a common neighborhood.
Blackmer said of this week's Town Meeting action, "Both projects were very positively received so I think Marblehead understands the need to address the elementary school facilities."
The Glover School, which has deficiencies such as aging mechanical systems and poor access for people with disabilities, was placed by the School Building Authority last December on its priority list of schools seeking funds for a building project.
The $395,000 approved by Town Meeting would pay for a feasibility study to assess potential solutions to the Glover School's needs, including the district's proposal for a new school. That study is necessary to seek state reimbursement for the project.
The district did not anticipate receiving state reimbursement for the Village Street project, which calls for the replacement of the building's deteriorating mechanical systems and roof, and the installation of sprinklers.
But as a result of discussions involving School Building Authority and Marblehead officials and state Representative Lori A. Ehrlich, the authority agreed to reimburse the town at least 40 percent for project costs, said Blackmer. The authority will not require a feasibility study because of the work the town has already done.
The Swampscott Town Meeting approvals came on votes declared unanimous by the town moderator. But Town Administrator Andrew Maylor said it was preceded by debate about the merits of using a one-year tax hike to fund some of the town's capital improvement needs, an approach they had not tried before. "In the end, the Capital Improvement Committee was effective in saying that we need to try different ways to supplement our ability to start to repair things like roads and infrastructure without further impacting the budget by adding to the debt service," he said.
In Rockport, selectmen vice chairwoman Sarah J. Wilkinson said her board was "thrilled" with the passage of the debt exclusion. "I think people realized that by investing in capital items, they are investing in the future of the town. Obviously, it's a tough financial time for everyone. But I think everyone realizes that capital needs aren't going anywhere."
She said the timing was right because the town is set to retire some past debt in the next fiscal year. Even with the debt exclusion, she said, the average tax bill will fall approximately $37 next year.
She said the Capital Improvement Planning Committee did a "great job coming up with a menu that appealed to the whole town. The . . . debt exclusion did not focus on one area or another."
