Voters supporting local tax questions
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May 23, 2008
Despite growing worries about the economy and personal finances, voters in cities and towns statewide are supporting local property tax override and exclusion questions at high levels this spring, mainly to protect municipal and school services from cuts next year and to make investments in local capital projects.
With health insurance and energy costs in local budgets fast outpacing growth in municipal revenues, strictly limited by Proposition 2½, cities and towns have been turning to overrides simply to maintain basic service levels.
Where overrides have been rejected, cutbacks are being planned for large-budget departments (police, fire and schools) as well as for smaller accounts, including public works, libraries and elder services. Override losses have also led to high fees in some cities and towns.
Nearly 20 cities and towns have held local override elections so far in May, with voters in about half of them approving at least one question on the ballot.
Voters approved questions in Brookline ($6.2 million), Canton ($4.5 million), Dennis ($257,464), Hamilton ($1.47 million), Millis ($180,000), Provincetown ($153,000), Sheffield ($100,000), Spencer ($528,371) and Wenham ($601,267).
Override questions were rejected in Ashland ($496,332), Groton ($106,437), Holliston ($992,000), Newton ($12 million), Shrewsbury ($1.5 million), and Yarmouth ($1.8 million).
According to newspaper reports, the voter-approved override in Canton will allow the town in fiscal 2009 to restore service and personnel cuts made this year, including hiring teachers and returning an ambulance to service.
Voters in Hamilton and Wenham approved overrides to help pay for teachers and textbooks at their shared regional school district.
In Holliston, where voters rejected an override for schools, the school committee is facing the loss of teachers and programs, and perhaps higher fees.
Based on votes scheduled through the end of May, it appears there will be fewer override questions at local elections this year than last, but the success rate is roughly where it has been over for the past several years.
So far this spring, 72 cities and towns have held, are scheduled to hold, or are considering a local tax question, fewer than the 100-plus of last year. This includes nearly 40 elections with one or more override questions. The remaining ballot questions are debt exclusions for local capital projects.
Since fiscal 2006, about half of the cities and towns that have attempted an override have won voter approval for at least one of the questions on the ballot.
- Written by MMA Legislative Director John Robertson
