Worcester - Tax Policy and the Challenges of Local GovernmentOctober 7th 4:00pm to 6:00pmThe Academy at Worcester Polytechnic InstituteFramingham - Tax Policy and Vulnerable PopulationsOctober 13th 10:00am to 12:00pmFramingham Senior … [Read more...]
Pay as you go?
Massachusetts residents are engaged in a conversation about what kinds of services they expect of their government and how they would chose to pay for it.In Tyngsboro, town officials are dousing the steetlights on all but the busiest … [Read more...]
Shirley: a microcosm of the state
For years now as Massachusetts cities and towns have been struggling to balance their budgets, the mantra of anti-tax activists has been "find more savings."This call reflects a misinformed belief that deep, structural budget deficits can … [Read more...]
Somebody else’s money
Apparently, the convenient fiction that the cities and towns are responsible for their own fiscal plight makes it easy for the Masters of Beacon Hill to play this kind of shell game. But as one mayor points out "It's a tremendous gesture, … [Read more...]
Hidden agenda surfaces in the Globe, part one
The tax cutters! "Seniors are our first line of defense against overrides," said Barbara Anderson of Citizens for Limited Taxation. "Senior citizens are defeating these overrides, and they are trying to give them a reason not to vote." I've … [Read more...]
Insult to Injury: What the Legislature Does to Cities and Towns
In his "municipal meltdown" diary last week, Charlie quotes a Commonwealth piece extensively about the fiscal crisis facing cities and towns. One line from Commonwealth really pushed my stupid button:When the leader of the Massachusetts … [Read more...]