Voters in Mass. communities increasingly reject overrides

Voters in nearly 60 percent of Massachusetts communities considering property tax increases this year have turned them down, one of the worst approval rates in recent years.

From $5.2 million in Saugus to $78,000 in Topsfield, voters have turned down the pleas of town officials and activists, who say they need the tax hikes to cover increased labor costs and avoid laying off teachers and cutting services.

At least 54 Massachusetts communities have scheduled ballot measures this year seeking permission to permanently increase the local property tax levy, under the state's Proposition 2 1/2 law, which limits tax increases. Seventeen towns won approval for the tax-hike requests, 23 failed, and voters in two communities approved some ballot measures but rejected others, according to a Globe tally.

Most of the rest will vote before July 1.

The state's proposition 2 1/2 law prohibits local communities from raising property taxes more than 2 1/2 percent higher than the previous year unless they get permission from voters. The law was passed in 1980 to address an outcry among taxpayer advocates that property tax hikes were getting out of control. In December, the Globe found that two-thirds of overrides in 2006 were rejected, meaning 2007 is on track to be the second-straight year in which more override requests fail than pass. The anti-override trend follows more than a decade of mostly successful ballot measures.

"Something has to be done and continuing to raise property taxes isn't going to solve the problem for very long," said Barbara Anderson , executive director of Citizens for Limited Taxation. "The Legislature will respond responsibly when they absolutely must, and it's our job to make sure they must by not giving them more revenues, either local option or higher property taxes."

Governor Deval Patrick has invoked the increasing failure rate of Proposition 2 1/2 overrides as he stumps for proposed legislation that would allow towns to assess a new local tax on meals and hotels, and give them access to reduced-cost state pension and health insurance networks. Dozens of select boards and other local officials have endorsed the proposals, collectively called the Municipal Partnership Act.

That so many communities say they need large tax hikes to meet ongoing costs indicates a systemic problem, Patrick said in a phone interview Friday, adding that the way local government services are funded needs to be reformed . "That's just not a sustainable model, and it's a particular hardship for seniors and people on fixed incomes," he said.

To alleviate property taxes, Patrick said he would like to have the state income tax credit now used by seniors expanded to all homeowners. The provision was not included in House and Senate versions of next year's state budget.

The override rejections are becoming increasingly painful for local officials as large requests -- including $5 million in Shrewsbury and $4.1 million in Randolph -- go down despite vigorous campaigns by town and school officials.

In the past week, six of seven override requests have failed to pass . West Boylston voters decisively rejected a $3.1 million tax hike Thursday . Groton and Dunstable both rejected tax hikes last week to fund increases in their contributions to the Groton Dunstable Regional School District. Newburyport voters turned down a $1.58 million tax hike Tuesday , while on the same day fewer than 200 voters turned out in Otis to reject a $150,00 increase. In Gill, voters rejected a $300,000 increase Monday . In Franklin, voters supported a $2.7 million increase Tuesday .

"The stakes are higher," said John Robertson , deputy legislative director for the Massachusetts Municipal Association, who tracks local tax-hike votes. "The problems are bigger, which leads communities to seek bigger questions, which makes it harder to win."

Patrick, who ran on a platform of reducing property taxes, said he understands voters' frustration with the ongoing tax hikes.

"I'm frustrated, too," he said, "but we never promised we'd be able to do it with a magic wand."

Communities try various strategies to persuade taxpayers to hand over more of their cash to fund municipal services.

Marshfield voters had the option of approving a $4 million tax hike, or, if that number proved too big to swallow, they could vote for a smaller, $2 million increase. The town won approval in its April 28 election for the smaller amount.

"We had initially looked at a $4.5 million override, which would have carried us through three years," said Marshfield town administrator John Clifford . "But most people felt that the $4.5 million number was too much for voters to accept. We decided we had to offer a lesser option."

While the approval will allow the town to restore some services for the coming fiscal year, voters might be faced with another tax hike for the 2009 budget year, Clifford said.

Many towns facing large deficits have tried to bargain with voters. In Amherst and Ashland, for example, town leaders crafted long-range fiscal plans and promised that they would not seek tax hikes for a few years if voters approved this one. Neither town was successful.

Amherst voters rejected a $2.5 million override on May 1, and Ashland voters turned down a $2 million tax hike on May 15. Ashland Town Manager John Petrin said the override would have allowed the town to restore services and positions cut last year. The town already has added fees for trash collection, increased school bus fees, and shuttered town offices on Fridays.

"The system is not working anymore in this state for municipalities," Petrin said.

John C. Drake can be reached at jdrake@globe.com