property tax

From the July 28 Patriot Ledger:

Holbrook... Searching for ways to ease the tax burden on aging residents, the town has inaugurated a new program allowing them to work for the town in return for credit against their real estate taxes... The pay will be the state minimum wage – $8 an hour, and, at least in this first year, there will be a $500 cap for each participant. There is also only one $500 credit per household. Studies have also shown the program also helps towns because when elderly residents sell and move, their homes are often purchased by a families who add children to the schools.

Well at least Holbrooks most famous homeboy, former State Rep. and former Chief of Staff to President George Bush, seen here with local senior citizens, should have enough in his savings acount so he won't have to work at the local library (still open) for $8 bucks an hour to get a $500 credit on his property tax.

The Boston Globe ran an article about the four most recent communities to take advantage of the Community Preservation Act in Massachusetts. It is a classic case of folks coming together--via the town meeting and supported by the state--to help plan essential structures in their communities...

The Community Preservation Act, the state law that lets municipalities levy a property tax surcharge of up to 3 percent to fund open space, historic preservation, affordable housing, and recreation projects won approval in all four area towns where it appeared on the ballot this spring: Hanson, Plympton, Stoughton, and West Bridgewater.

"People are willing to pay when they know it's going to do good things for the community," Chris Iannitelli, who served on West Bridgewater's pro-CPA ballot committee, said of the vote in his town. "We've been hearing so long that people want to see the community stay the way it is. And this act helps to preserve the community."

“A property tax cap has been implemented in 43 other states,” said Mrs. Rell, a Republican. “It can and will work here.”

So says Governor Rell in the New York Times.

And in the next paragraph so says .

House speaker, Representative James A. Amann, a Democrat, was doubtful. “I don’t know why she keeps dragging that old dog out,” he said.