Being Pushed by School PAC
March 15, 2004
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Joseph Gillis Jr.
You can do something!
Suddenly, there is activity from a group in town that is trying to rally support for a Proposition 2 1/2 Operational Tax Over-ride. Unlike the $100M in capital school projects Prop 2 1/2 over-rides, an operational over-ride is forever and its effects will grow with each future year. For financial perspective, based on a total property valuation in Bridgewater of $1.9B (6/30/2003, Town Assessor), to raise an additional $1M in revenue for Bridgewater would cost a homeowner with a $300k assessment an extra $157 in the first year of the increase. It would be $161 in year 2, $166 in year 3, and so on. Also, keep in mind that the costss of Bridgewater's new Police Station have not yet been added to the tax bills; there are also costs for $1.7M in repairs to Bridgewater Elementary (George Mitchell) School and the $3.5M land purchase still to hit town tax bills.
All other Bridgewater Town Departments have been asked to determine a way to live with a level-funded allocation. Prior to considering an ever-ride, the residents of Bridgewater deserve to see how the money is spent. The budget proposal released by the School Department does not show how money has been spent in the past - only what is desired for the upcoming year.
