Georgetown Tax Relief - by Selectman Lonnie Brennan - February '08,

$403,580 proposed for Georgetown tax relief

Lonnie Brennan, Georgetown Selectman

Chances are, your local legislator is great at showing up at senior centers, large gatherings, lectures, and graduations. But what about showing up on Beacon Hill, ready to go to the matt for you, and tax relief? Ha, got ya there. Not a chance. And, it most likely doesn’t matter in which city or town in the entire Merrimac Valleyand beyond you pick up this paper….the chances are quite high you’ve been fed a song by a sweet-talking rep. who’s all hat, no cattle.

House Bill 4651, the Massachusetts Municipal Finance Relief Act of 2007, is still being touted on Beacon Hill. It would take $450,000,000 from the Commonwealth’s Stabilization Fund (which contains surplus revenue in the billions) and divide that sum up to all 351 cities and towns in the State. If enacted, Georgetownwould receive a much needed, one-time stimulus of $403,580 with which we could use to make adjustments to our budgets so as to relieve school, roads, and other pressures. Here’s what surrounding towns would receive:

                Andover: $1,070,289
                Boxford: $273,653
                Groveland: $381,399
                Haverhill: $4,682,278
                Lawrence: $11,668,975
                Methuen: 43,178,290
                Newbury: $272,103
                N. Andover: $1,169,517
                W. Newbury: $168,511

The specific dollar amount is formula-based on money taken from the cities and towns through prior Lottery fund reductions, which were not spent but rather were socked away in the state’s stabilization fund. While there are many reasons to ensure a healthy stabilization fund, each city, town, and the state, can reach a point of over taxation through such funds. A contingent of legislators, state-wide, have explored the viability of releasing a small portion of such over taxation, at this time.

With regret, they’ve hit brick walls of indifference and excuses from many legislators in our area who have never seen a tax break that they’re willing to vote for. To them, it’s the government’s money. They forget who pays it, and who owns it. A rainy day fund is good, but it’s not raining on Beacon Hill—it is however down-pouring in cities and in towns, which have watched local receipts with angst, and torn themselves apart with override battles, all while billions sit idle in deep savings on Beacon Hill. According to the bill’s many sponsors, including Shirley representative George Peterson, a growing coalition from small towns are trying to fight back. They point out the obvious: Beacon Hill’s biggest problems seem to be the insatiable desire to expand spending with new initiatives (can you spell benefits for illegal aliens?), rather than take care of the people and projects before us.

Consideration of tax relief of any type, let alone passage in any form, will not occur unless and until individuals in cities and towns speak up and contact their legislators and insist they consider passage of this important legislation.

I’ve posted a copy of the bill’s language, and the full financials at www.GeorgetownToday.com.   I urge you to read it and consider contacting your local legislators to support discussion of this legislation now.

And, I urge every elected official - school committee member, councilor, selectman, alderman, assessor, planning board member, Democrat town committee member, Republican town committee member, et.al.,- to consider supporting a full hearing on this legislation, so that its merits may be discussed in both the house and the senate, and before the taxpayers.

Speaking of Education

For the past year or so, I’ve written columns about many issues that face my neighbors—typically tax issues, funding issues, land use issues, education issues, and other challenges. I ask your indulgence now as I write about something a little closer to home.

Not many know, but I hail from a family of six children—two older brothers, three younger sisters. Two of my sisters are public school teachers (Heidi in Georgetown, Holly in Swampscott), one brother has moved from teaching to administration now (Scott, Byfield). My own experiences are limited to having served as an adjunct professor at both Northeastern University and then at U.Mass Lowell. Together, our collective experience helping students pales when compared to someone very special who dedicated the past 22 years to helping students in the Salem Public School system.

Ruth B. Brennan retired this month. Mother to six, grandmother to many, extended mother and provider to countless thousands. Her citation from Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll said in part “more importantly, she has always been very generous and caring to all she has met, especially special needs students, assisting them with knitting projects and making coloring books for them in her spare time. …in doing so, Ruth has proudly served the City of Salem and its citizens…a most positive influence in the lives of countless individuals.”

Bless you mom. I know Dad was looking down upon you and is proud, as always, as is your son.