Ken Belcher
Vote YES for the Braintree Override: It is the right thing to do!
The Town of Braintree is facing yet another operating budget crisis. Plainly stated, the expenses needed to safely and properly operate our town (as tight as they may be), exceed our currently available operating revenues. Let’s look at both sides of the ledger to better understand why we have this financial crisis and start with the expense side:
Expenses:
For those who ask, “Where does all of the money go?” this information is a matter of public record. The Annual Comprehensive Financial (ACF) Reports are published online each year for the Town of Braintree. These reports detail exactly how our tax dollars are spent. The individual departmental budgets are prepared, scrubbed, re-scrubbed and cuts made every year so that tax dollars are properly allocated to insure that our citizens are safe (police, fire, EMT, emergency preparedness, etc.), our utilities function correctly, our roads and public facilities are properly maintained, and our schools and library educate our students with a high quality education to properly prepare them to take the next steps in their journey to either higher education, technical training, joining the service or entering the workforce. Our children deserve nothing less. Our expense budgets have been held tight under previous administrations and I have no doubt that they will be tight under our new administration. Now let’s look at operating revenue:
Revenue:
Our revenue is falling short. Why? There are two issues contributing to the shortfall: 1) the lack of an solid strategy to welcome new business and developers to our town and embrace their ability to help us grow our commercial and residential tax base and 2) our unwillingness as a town to properly and responsibly utilize a Prop 2 1/2 override when needed to avoid potentially damaging or even disastrous cuts to our educational, public safety, utilities, senior care and other services currently provided.
Looking more deeply at issue #1, we hear regularly from citizens that many are against new development in town. We hear, “We don’t want to become like neighboring Quincy or Weymouth, with their high rise buildings and vast development.” We appreciate and understand this concern and cherish the small town feel that Braintree provides. That said, not welcoming more scaled down new businesses and developers to our town negatively impacted our commercial tax base. According to the 2022 ACF of Braintree, our commercial value as a percentage of total tax revenue value has dropped from 21.75% in 2013 to 19% in 2022. It should have grown. This drop places a greater burden on the residential tax base. The goal of the new administration should be to grow this commercial base.
Looking more deeply at issue #2, our unwillingness to properly and responsibly utilize a Prop 2 1/2 override, has resulted in a low tax rate when compared to similar towns. In addition, we have an incredibly high level of services offered (BELD, curbside trash removal, public library, excellent public safety services, senior services, a high quality public school system, etc.). We have public services that are comparable with many small cities.
BUT….this comes at a price. Our low residential tax rate, and lack of sufficient growth bringing new business and development to town, has now resulted in a financial crisis for our town. The town financial managers, independent auditor and our bond rating agencies have been predicting this crisis for several years and now it has arrived. This should be no surprise.
The result is that all town departments are now evaluating extremely damaging cuts to their budgets. The cuts required in the Braintree Public School System will be particularly sweeping and damaging. Deep cuts in the number of teachers, educational programs, support staff, etc., will clearly negatively impact the education we are able to offer our students. The impact of continuing to cut the resources available to our educators, will, without question, cause a deterioration in the quality of education offered. In virtually every town, as the quality of the schools declines, so does the reputation of the town. As the reputation of the town deteriorates, so do real estate values. It is a very dangerous and slippery slope.
We cannot cut our way to success! It is time for us to consider an override to save our schools, maintain our excellent public services and save our town.
Utilizing a Prop 2 1/2 override at this point in Braintree’s history, is the logical and prudent action to take to preserve the quality of our town. It should not be viewed as weakness, but rather engaging an available tool in our financial toolbox. Interestingly enough, many towns use it. For example, the Massachusetts Department of Revenue, South Shore Region Office of Coastal Zoning reports that of the 23 towns in the region, 19 have utilized overrides a total of 80 times since Prop 2 1/2 was passed in 1980 and began in 1982. Only Quincy and Weymouth (due to their vast development as previously mentioned) and Carver have not utilized the override tool as is the case with Braintree.
It is time for Braintree to utilize this opportunity and support an override. We have been kicking the can down the road for too long. It is time we stand tall and embrace opportunities to generate new tax revenue and begin to put the shine back on our Town of Braintree. Our success will not be realized by continuing to make town wide deep cuts in services rendered and decimate our public education system and ask our school children to shoulder the burden. Please join me and Vote YES on a Braintree Override.”