First, the tax rate reduction. Of the $1.2 million in surplus, or "free cash," Mayor Martin submitted the following for Council vote:
- Increase the FY12 Operating Budget by $562,050 (including $228,000 to Greenfield Public Schools; $105,000 to Veterans Services; Police Department, $50,000, and others)
- Decrease the FY12 Operating Budget by $54,550 (mostly transferring costs under one department/line item to another as outlined in #1 breakout)
- Appropriate $330,000 from Free Cash to reduce the tax rate.
- Appropriate $250,000 from Free Cash to the Stabilization Fund; $250,000 to the Capital Project Stabilization Fund; $250,000 to the Contractual Agreement Stabilization Fund.
- Appropriate $50,000 from Free Cash for remediation of hazardous materials at Town Hall Annex prior to demolition.
Per the Town Charter, the Town Council cannot increase the budget. We can vote "aye" or "no" on these motions and we can amend motions to decrease amounts. I voted "aye" on #1, #2, the various motions in #4 (which are important to build up our town's reserves and to maintain good credit rating), and #5. I voted "no" on #3, for the following reasons:
- While $330,000 is a large sum in total, it becomes less significant when disbursed to all property tax-payers. Based on what we were told by the Mayor and Director Kelly, if your property has been assessed at $188,000 -- about the average for Greenfield -- you will receive a check for about $42. An average of $42 for property holders -- less if your property is worth less, and someone holding property assessed at $1.8 million, 10x more than the average, would get $420 back. Based on these proportions, a relatively small refund to individuals does not seem, to me, to have more merit than using the lump sum for a larger-scale project or series of projects that have been deferred due to cost.
- Times are tough. We have faced year-over-year service cuts. Could that $330,000 have been used to restore town services that could be valuable for all Greenfield residents -- property owners, renters, business owners, workers -- and Greenfield visitors? Councilor Wisnewski mentioned a list of examples of quality of life issues and concerns that some residents and business owners have articulated. Greenfield Schools asked for more budget dollars than they received. The town is about to begin a master planning process. Greenfield endured several unusual and expensive weather events in 2011 -- will there be more?
- After the initial Recorder article ran about the proposed reduction, I did not hear from a single constituent, neighbor, or friend urging me to vote for the reduction. However, I did receive feedback from several downtown business owners who requested that those funds be used to expand downtown foot and bicycle patrols to address what they have perceived as an increase in petty crimes and drug activity. I have heard people from all political perspectives address concern about this activity. Subsequently, I discussed this with President Singer and other councilors and emailed Mayor Martin with this feedback before the meeting. Given this feedback, I felt it was important to bring this perspective to the table in the form of both discussion at the meeting and my "no" vote.
If you disagree with my perspective and my vote, I encourage you to contact me -- our precinct's Greenfield Community Forum meeting will be held on Tuesday, November 29 at 6:30pm at the GCC Downtown Center on Main & Davis St. I will also attend January's meeting, and of course, you can always reach me via email, Facebook, or by commenting on this blog.
Next up: my second "no" vote and what a "split tax" means.
