News Roundup

Town Meeting primer

There is just one budget article on the special Town Meeting warrant. But voters don’t have to take it or leave it.

Special Town Meeting looms

Townspeople will be asked to choose between clashing budgetary visions at the special Town Meeting Monday night.

Selectmen news and notes

Info on the town seeking proposals from qualified consultants to conduct a feasibility study and implementation plan for a Department of Public Works; update on Fire Chief search; latest on Georgetown Police Department budget.

Tax holiday called a success

It may not have been the biggest shopping weekend of the year, but for retailers around the state the two-day sales tax holiday helped salvage an otherwise dismal summer.

Online poll results: Voters say, Keep Benton library open

By an almost two-to-one margin, voters in our online poll say the Benton branch library should be kept open, despite the fiscal pickle the town is in due to not budgeting properly for energy prices.

Online poll results: Voters say, Keep Benton library open

By an almost two-to-one margin, voters in our online poll say the Benton branch library should be kept open, despite the fiscal pickle the town is in due to not budgeting properly for energy prices.

State also feeling pinch of high gas prices

The soaring price of gasoline this summer vacation season is hitting state government in the wallet. As people drive less, and fill up the tank less, the state loses out. Statewide, gas tax receipts were down 4.7 percent in July compared with July 2007,...

Ashburnham officials quarrel over budget shortfalls

ASHBURNHAM -- Town leaders at Monday's Board of Selectmen meeting discussed shortfalls in the fiscal year 2009 budget, holding no punches in assigning blame.
Read more [Fitchburg Sentinel and Enterprise - Local News]

Last word on difficult Weymouth budget expected next week

A Weymouth budget thrown into dissaray by health insurance increases will be submitted in its final form soon.
Read more [Patriot Ledger - Top Stories]

Crime pays for Lawrence's new police dog

LAWRENCE and mdash; With 70 percent of the city's arrests related to illegal drugs, police have long wanted a dog specially trained to only detect narcotics. But finding the thousands of dollars needed to buy such a specific dog was unheard of with Lawrence's lean budget and mdash; until now.
Read more [Eagle Tribune]

Entergy deal good for shareholders; others wary

Power provider Entergy Corp. is advancing its plans to spin off nuclear plants that generate free-market electricity, a deal that may be a boon for shareholders but a potential burden for taxpayers, according to critics, particularly in the Northeast.
Read more [Boston.com - Massachusetts News]

$7.2 million in overrides on Avon voters’ agenda

The average homeowner would pay an additional $80.30 in property taxes if residents at the polls on Aug. 26 approve a temporary tax increase to fund road, water and school building projects.

Mass. property tax bills on the rise as values dip

Property tax bills

Monday Morning Briefing

As Bay Staters recover from their tax-free holiday spending splurges, local Democratic delegates are shining their shoes for the upcoming Democratic National Convention in...
Read more [Boston Herald - Regional News & Opinion]

Spiraling college costs prompt N.H. families to seek financial aid

MANCHESTER, N.H. - Rising college costs are putting the squeeze on family budgets and more people looking to attend college in New Hampshire applied for financial aid this year.
Read more [Boston Globe - City / Region]

Many area shoppers hold on to their wallets during sales tax holiday

Several shoppers interviewed by The Enterprise on Sunday said they weren’t spending tons of cash to save on sales tax. Many buyers were sticking to small-ticket items.

Tax takes a holiday in Mass.

Consumers are stocking up on big-ticket electronics and back-to-school necessities during the state's annual sales tax holiday this weekend, which retailers hope will...
Read more [Boston Herald - Regional News & Opinion]

Mass. property tax bills on the rise as values dip

Property taxes in Massachusetts continued to climb even as the average value of a single family home fell for the first time in more than a decade.
Read more [Boston.com - Massachusetts News]

Both side gear up for fight on income tax repeal

BOSTON — Supporters and opponents of the ballot question asking to eliminate the statewide income tax are preparing for a fight for votes this fall, raising money and rounding up volunteers.

Shoppers go for the gold on tax holiday

Savvy shoppers crowded Boston-area malls and stores yesterday, taking advantage of the state's fifth annual sales tax holiday and saving 5 percent on items ranging from school supplies to expensive electronics. Retailers, fearful that the sluggish economy would keep spending down, were relieved.
Read more [Boston.com - Massachusetts News]

Asking more of a senator

Dianne Wilkerson's supporters are a mighty forgiving bunch. When the Boston Democrat failed to pay state and federal income taxes for years during the early 1990s, leading to a 30-day sentence in a halfway house, they did not conclude that a state senator who didn't pay her own taxes was the wrong person to decide how to spend theirs.
Read more [Boston.com - Massachusetts News]

Property tax bills climb as values dip

The average assessed value for single-family homes in Massachusetts fell for the first time in more than a decade last year, even as property tax bills continued to climb.
Read more [Boston.com - Massachusetts News]

Asking more of a senator

Dianne Wilkerson's supporters are a mighty forgiving bunch. When the Boston Democrat failed to pay state and federal income taxes for years during the early 1990s, leading to a 30-day sentence in a halfway house, they did not conclude that a state senator who didn't pay her own taxes was the wrong person to decide how to spend theirs.
Read more [Boston Globe - City / Region]

Shoppers go for the gold on tax holiday

Savvy shoppers crowded Boston-area malls and stores yesterday, taking advantage of the state's fifth annual sales tax holiday and saving 5 percent on items ranging from school supplies to expensive electronics. Retailers, fearful that the sluggish economy would keep spending down, were relieved.
Read more [Boston Globe - City / Region]

Property tax bills climb as values dip

The average assessed value for single-family homes in Massachusetts fell for the first time in more than a decade last year, even as property tax bills continued to climb.
Read more [Boston Globe - City / Region]

Tax holiday keeps local stores busy

It was necessity that drove Tara Silva out to the stores yesterday. She was just lucky that it happened to be a tax-free holiday weekend. Silva's air conditioner broke on Friday. "I probably saved like $25," the North Andover resident said as she loaded the box in her pickup truck outside Home Depot in Methuen. "It doesn't seem like a lot, but I wasn't even expecting to spend anything, so at least I saved something."
Read more [Eagle Tribune]

Civilian road detail flaggers will need plenty of training

With money in the state budget tight, Governor Deval Patrick is wise to look for ways to save on expenses. His idea, however, of trimming expenses by replacing higher paid law enforcement officers with civilians on secondary road traffic work details is raising safety concerns.
Read more [Brockton Enterprise - Opinion]

Shoppers seek tax-free bargains

It was 80 degrees and sunny yesterday, but at shopping plaza and mall parking lots across the state, it looked like the day after Thanksgiving across the state.

Both side gear up for fight on income tax repeal

Supporters and opponents of the ballot question eliminating the statewide income tax are gearing up for a fight for votes this fall, raising money and rounding up volunteers.
Read more [Boston.com - Massachusetts News]

Stores lure shoppers on sales tax holiday weekend

In what is becoming a late summer ritual, shop owners are luring in bargain-hunting shoppers during the state's two-day tax-free weekend.
Read more [Boston.com - Massachusetts News]

Weymouth air base developer says movie studio proposal still on track

Representatives from the Los Angeles-based International Studio Group said they would break ground this year if state lawmakers approved tax credits for the project, but the legislation did not pass.

Weymouth air base developer says movie studio proposal still on track

Representatives from the Los Angeles-based International Studio Group said they would break ground this year if state lawmakers approved tax credits for the project, but the legislation did not pass.

Carla Howell's tax fight pays off

The move to repeal the state income tax is already paying off for a pair of activists who have pocketed tens of thousands of dollars heading up the ballot campaign, a Herald...
Read more [Boston Herald - Regional News & Opinion]

Sales tax holiday: Business as usual?

The mortgage crisis continues to worsen; foreclosures doubled in the first half of 2008 compared to the same period last year.

Bob Andreano remembered as loving life

Bob Andreano rode a Harley. He loved Frank Sinatra, sang solos in Italian and made people laugh. He was tax collector, a Town Meeting member, a substitute teacher. He was a gentleman. An encyclopedia of knowledge.

Editorial: Don’t call it Taxachusetts

With the proposed repeal of the state income tax topping the November ballot, a debate over taxation and state government is a certainty. The question is whether that debate will be based on facts or emotions.

Shirley to hold seminar on campaign finance

SHIRLEY -- Three Proposition 2 1/2 override questions totaling $739,545 are being presented to voters at a Sept.
Read more [Fitchburg Sentinel and Enterprise - Local News]

Letter: Seniors volunteering for property tax break

Virginia Powers of Stoneham writes in support of Stoneham instituting a program allowing seniors to volunteer in lieu of a portion of their property taxes

Hanson taxpayers may quality for breaks

Hanson taxpayers may be eligible for an exemption on their real estate bills if they are widows, over 70 years of age, blind or veterans.
Read more [Patriot Ledger - News]

A tax break: But is it good for business?

August can be a doldrums for stores with many people out of town for vacations, but each year retailers look forward to a boost in sales during the Massachusetts tax holiday weekend, which will be this Saturday and Sunday.

Facilitator considered to guide future budget meetings

ANDOVER and mdash; Officials will consider using a meeting facilitator to help guide next year's budget planning. Members of the Board of Selectmen, School Committee and Finance Committee agree that improvements must be made from last year's talks when disagreements over the need for a Proposition 2
Read more [Eagle Tribune]

Sales tax holiday: Business as usual?

The mortgage crisis continues to worsen, as foreclosures have doubled in the first half of 2008 compared to the first half of 2007. While Massachusetts has created a few new jobs recently, unemployment figures continue to show signs of an unstable workforce. Of course, food and gas prices are out of control and the cost of living in the Bay State continues to steadily climb. Once again, many are barely making it in Massachusetts.

We need a break.

Fortunately, some of us are in luck.

Bob Andreano loses battle with leukemia

Bob Andreano, the town's beloved former tax collector, died yesterday morning from complications of leukemia.

Windows no longer a pane at Abington High

When every town department was feeling the financial pinch during last year’s budget process, Abington voters dug deep and approved a $2.053 million debt exclusion override to replace the windows and doors at Abington High.

Shoppers primed for no-tax buying

Many consumers are coming in early to make it easier to buy what they want during this weekend’s shopping frenzy.

Lloyd Garver: In praise of the biggest political sin

Candidates have been calling their opponents names throughout history. Here in America, they've been called "a hell-raiser," "a tax-raiser," ""an abolitionist," "a pro-slaver," "a hawk," "a dove," "a communist," "a fascist," "an intellectual" or "an idiot." But lately, there is one charge that is capable of doing in a candidate more than any of the others. It is the accusation that someone is a "flip-flopper."

Poll finds 3 in 4 consider pot penalties too harsh

The poll also found that half of Massachusetts voters surveyed oppose abolishing the state income tax but want greyhound racing outlawed. Voters will be asked all three questions in November.
Read more [Patriot Ledger - Top Stories]

Some resolutions to police budget brouhaha

Solutions to resolve the Georgetown Police Department’s budget crisis are coming from a number of sources — from Town Hall to private citizens.

Sales Tax Holiday is Aug. 16 and 17

The Massachusetts Sales Tax Holiday will be Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 16 and 17. On that weekend, all non-business sales at retail of single items of tangible personal property are exempt from sales and use taxes.

Sagging tax collections threaten school building

BOSTON — Slowing sales tax collections are threatening to sharply undercut the pace of school construction and repairs in Massachusetts.

Editorial: Don’t call it ‘Taxachusetts’

With the proposed repeal of the state income tax topping the November ballot, a debate over taxation and state government is a certainty. The question is whether that debate will be based on facts or emotions.

Mass. holiday just a regular weekend in Granite State

Thanksgiving is a holiday. The Fourth of July is a holiday. New Year's Day? Holiday. Christmas -- now, that's the granddaddy of holidays. Two days during which we don't have to pay a sales tax when we buy something under $2,500?
Read more [Lowell Sun - Columns]

Fitchburg mayor praises Gov. Patrick for funding the SAFE program

Fitchburg Mayor Lisa Wong praised the announcement that Gov. Deval Patrick's budget continues funding for the SAFE program in Fitchburg schools.
Read more [Fitchburg Sentinel and Enterprise - Local News]

DOR warns budget is unbalanced

The town of Saugus has yet to balance this year’s budget, according to the state’s Department of Revenue.

Snake eyes in Berkshires

RICHMOND, Mass. - Many moons ago, our esteemed governor suggested that the way we should rebuild our bridges, our schools, our communities, our confidence is to build some casinos where people could spend their money like drunken sailors and rebuild the state coffers.
Read more [Boston.com - Massachusetts News]

Snake eyes in Berkshires

RICHMOND, Mass. - Many moons ago, our esteemed governor suggested that the way we should rebuild our bridges, our schools, our communities, our confidence is to build some casinos where people could spend their money like drunken sailors and rebuild the state coffers.
Read more [Boston Globe - City / Region]

Editorial: Don't call it ‘Taxachusetts’

The Tax Foundation’s latest report makes the Bay State look nothing like “Taxachusetts.” For the third year in a row, Massachusetts ranks 23rd in combined state and local taxes, right in the middle of the pack. The study says 9.4 percent of state residents’ income went to state and local taxes.

Smaller sales tax take may stall school projects

Slowing sales tax collections are threatening to sharply undercut the pace of school construction and repairs in Massachusetts. The Massachusetts School Building Authority,...
Read more [Boston Herald - Regional News & Opinion]

Traditions has served many roles through the years

  When the U.S. federal income tax became a more-or-less permanent institution with the passage of the 16th Amendment it 1913, it spelled the gradual demise of many of the grand estates and mansions that had been built in such locations as New York, Newport, Baltimore, and Philadelphia. Families could just no longer pay both the government and for the upkeep of their properties.

Back-to-school bargain-hunters seek second-hand stores

It’s back-to-school time and the challenge this year is to fit clothes and supplies into budgets that have been hit hard by the cost of a gallon of gas.
 

Sagging tax collections threaten school building projects

BOSTON - Slowing sales tax collections are threatening to sharply undercut the pace of school construction and repairs in Massachusetts. The Massachusetts School Building...
Read more [Boston Herald - Regional News & Opinion]

Committee will look at school funding

A steering committee has been formed to examine education budgeting in Hamitlon and Wenham.

Committee will look at school funding

A steering committee has been formed to examine education budgeting in Hamitlon and Wenham.

Sagging tax collections threaten school building

Slowing sales tax collections are threatening to sharply undercut the pace of school construction and repairs in Massachusetts.
Read more [Boston.com - Massachusetts News]

Editorial: Don’t call it ‘Taxachusetts’

With the proposed repeal of the state income tax topping the November ballot, a debate over taxation and state government is a certainty. The question is whether that debate will be based on facts or emotions.

Editorial: Don’t call it ‘Taxachusetts’

With the proposed repeal of the state income tax topping the November ballot, a debate over taxation and state government is a certainty. The question is whether that debate will be based on facts or emotions.

Budget deficit soars to $102.8B

Wednesday, August 13 WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal budget deficit soared in July, pushed higher by economic stimulus payments and $15
Read more [Berkshire Eagle - Top Headlines]

Sagging tax collections threaten school building

   Slowing sales tax collections are threatening to sharply undercut the pace of school construction and repairs in Massachusetts.
   The Massachusetts School Building Authority, funded with a share of the state’s 5 percent sales tax, was created when collections were conservatively expected to grow by more than 4.5 percent annually. Instead, they have averaged closer to 2 percent in recent years.
   Now, the nation’s sagging economy has authority leaders girding for zero percent growth, or worse, which would leave the authority with billions less for future school projects.
   “It is a trend that is not favorable to us,” Andy Cherullo, the authority’s chief financial officer, told board members last week.
   If growth averages 4.5 percent, it would leave the authority with $25 billion to spend on schools during the next 30 years. If it averages zero percent, the authority will be able to dispense just $6 billion to the state’s 351 cities and town during that span. It reimburses communities 40 percent to 80 percent of their eligible project costs.
   Treasurer Timothy Cahill, who has served as board chairman since the authority was created in July 2004, said the drop in collections should lower expectations among parents and school leaders.
   “The possibility of a continued decline in sales tax revenue should serve as a reminder that while we want to get each district the best possible facility, some extras might have to be scaled back,” Cahill said in a statement.
   The concern comes during what should otherwise be red-letter days at the authority, which has made major progress since assuming oversight of school construction matters from the former School Building Assistance Program run by the Department of Education.
   The MSBA inherited a backlog of 1,156 projects, 728 of which cities and towns had completed but were awaiting payment for, plus 428 projects still being built. Today, only about 15 projects in that backlog remain.
   A moratorium on new projects was lifted on July 1, 2007, and during a one-month application period that followed, 162 school districts submitted 423 statements requesting consideration of additional projects. That was whittled to the 162 most important projects — one from each district — and authority board members voted in November to move 83 of them into the funding pipeline.
   Since then, over a dozen more have also been approved.
   The authority has budgeted to spend $2.5 billion from 2007 to 2011. But the decline in sales tax revenues and its effect on future construction is something that must be faced by the authority and communities that rely on it.
   When it was created, the authority was given a guaranteed revenue stream of one penny from the nickel in tax levied on each $1 in sales. That funding stream was phased in, with the authority receiving 70 percent of its one-penny share in the 2006 fiscal year, 78 percent the following year, and the full amount in fiscal 2011.
   Lawmakers also provided a guaranteed minimum of funds to help the authority erase the project backlog, starting at $489 million in 2006 and increasing to $702 million in the current fiscal year, which began July 1. The state has stepped in to fill the gap when tax collections have not reached the minimum, including an expected appropriation of about $47 million for the fiscal year that ended June 30.
   Starting next year, though, there is no guaranteed minimum, leaving the authority completely reliant on sales tax collections for its operations. Gov. Deval Patrick has also warned of a $1 billion budget deficit, putting any state bailout in doubt.
   Flat growth or even a drop-off in collections would curtail the authority’s ability to support construction projects.
   That concern has prompted the MSBA to review all pending projects, and to lean on communities such as Norwood and Wellesley to re-examine big-ticket requests, such as their new high schools. Other school districts are being asked to reevaluate their enrollment projections, to ensure one school is not overbuilt at the expense of another.
   Last week, the authority board also voted to forge ahead with a “model school” pilot program aimed at using prototype designs for new projects.
   The new high school approved for Norwood, for example, will most likely be based on the design of the Whitman-Hanson Regional High School, which was completed in 2005 and has been hailed for its use of environmentally friendly technology.
   Reusing the plans could save up to 25 percent in project costs.
   Meanwhile, the authority is giving priority to repairs that could stave off larger future expenses.
   “If we can save a roof today, more than likely we will not have to rebuild a building in five years,” Cahill said during last week’s board meeting.

Ashland prepares to auction off land

The town is preparing to auction 10 or 11 foreclosed properties to get them back on the tax rolls, and one site may have potential to fetch a high price.

Letter: State school building funding is cruel joke

I was interested to see that Bedford received $10 million from the state for our school project. And as a taxpayer, I was delighted to read that "it will reduce the amount of money that local taxpayers are paying for the school." But as it turns out, it's all a cruel joke.

Campaign heats up for Senate seat

A month before the Democratic primary for the 2nd Worcester District Senate seat, the candidates are stepping up their campaigns at the end of the quiet summer vacation season, with the two Democrats in the race skirmishing in a radio debate and the sole Republican issuing a no-tax increase challenge.
Read more [Worcester Telegram - City News]

Campaign heats up for Senate seat

A month before the Democratic primary for the 2nd Worcester District Senate seat, the candidates are stepping up their campaigns at the end of the quiet summer vacation season, with the two Democrats in the race skirmishing in a radio debate and the sole Republican issuing a no-tax increase challenge.
Read more [Worcester Telegram - City News]

$195.3M contract signed for Newton North construction

Taxpayers now have a signed document to protect them from rising costs on the Newton North High School project.

Mayor David Cohen signed his name to a Guaranteed Maximum Price Monday, putting an end to the cost estimate of a project that’s been spiraling upward in price since its inception.

To see a breakdown of the project costs, click here.

Newton School Committee parcels out surpluses

People crowded into a meeting room in the Education Center Thursday night to plea for some part of the half-million dollar surplus in the School Department’s $160 million budget.