Mohan Nannapaneni
Worcester County, Massachusetts, USA
The COVID money is gone, health care has increased, and the town of South Hadley, Massachusetts. According to the Wall Street Journal, the politicians want a 50% increase in property taxes over five years.
They claim they have been cutting. Although, it would be interesting to see what their welfare and illegal alien budget is like. Do they ever cut that?
Democrats have an affordability problem, and it has hit hard in South Hadley.
Without millions in additional taxes, local officials warn, there will be deep cuts: no school sports or extracurriculars and slashed Advanced Placement offerings, along with hits to police. public-works staffing. and senior programs. Welfare, a bloated administration with high salaries, and people here illegally are not lined up for cuts.
This Is How the Government Becomes the First Owner of Your Home
Critics counter that a potential 50% jump in property-tax bills, even phased in over five years as envisioned, would overburden residents already feeling higher prices for groceries, gas, and other essentials. Some opponents say the town should instead cut what they deem to be excessive local government salaries and bloat.
Towns are facing the end of federal pandemic-era aid that propped up budgets.
“It’s really a preview of what communities across the country are going to face,” Morrill said. “I think South Hadley’s perhaps the canary in the coal mine.”
The federal budget increased 42% under COVID.
A similar vote on March 31 in Malden, Mass., narrowly failed. A disappointed Mayor Gary Christenson said officials would identify cuts needed to balance the city budget, adding, “We will find a way to move forward together.”
“People are not just concerned about what’s happening in their own lives,” Wong said. “They’re really concerned about what’s happening with their neighbors, both in terms of the services that we need, but also the financial impact.”
Massachusetts law generally caps annual increases in property tax revenue at 2.5%. Anything more requires voter approval. Faced with a $3 million deficit, South Hadley’s elected selectboard put two override questions on the ballot—one for $9 million, one for $11 million. Either would permanently lift the sum that can be raised via property taxes well above the current $35 million.
If the $11 million option passes, owners of an average home valued at $417,000 would see their property tax bill rise from $5,640 to $8,477, likely over five years, the town says. If neither passes, that same bill would reach $6,472 in that span. That doesn’t account for rising property assessments, which have been going up.
Politicians view your home as their ATM.