Here are the open positions:
Board of Selectmen (two seats for three years each), town moderator
(one seat for three years), Board of Assessors (one seat for three years),
Sturbridge School Committee (one seat for one year and another seat for three
years), Tantasqua School Committee (two seats for three years each), constable
(one seat for three years), Board of Health (one seat for three years), Recreation
Committee (one seat for one year, another seat for two years, and a third seat
for three years), Zoning Board of Appeals (two seats for three years each), and
library trustees (three seats for three years each).
As I have written in the past, the local level is where it
all begins and where you can truly make a difference. If you believe in the tea
party principles, here is the best place to start a culture of fiscal responsibility,
control spending and promote growth. Of course the opposite can also happen.
When you really think about it how much of a difference can
you really make when you vote for President, or even a Senator? If you can get
a whole bunch of people to vote with you, for the candidate you support, then
you still have to make sure when the candidate gets elected he still follows
your advice. And don’t forget, depending on the office you have others who want
him or her to vote for what they want. Ask Scott Brown how that is working out.
Pick any of the positions that are up and you can make some
kind of difference in each. Tired of your tax dollars being misspent? Run for
Selectman. Don’t like what you see in the schools? Looks like some School
Committee seats are available. Be prepared to work some long hours for little
or no pay, be ready for people to criticize everything you do and don’t forget
to read the Sound-off column in the News for good advice.
All of the open seats are for NO pay not little or no pay just plan old NO Pay. Voted at town meeting a few years back to get rid of the stipend. Also, Tax dollars being miss spent... well most tax dollar expenditures are done at Town Meeting and not by any select board. Remember read and investigate what is being voted on at town meeting and then get out and vote. We raise our own taxes and are lucky enough in our town to be able to have All the voters as the legislative body.
ReplyDeleteLinda
Hello Just Musing,
ReplyDeleteI'm back; last time I requested blogtime regarding Article 48, you were very generous but let me know you wished I had started dispensing information earlier. This time, I'm working with three other residents requesting that Sturbridge voters consider revoking the Community Preservation Act (CPA) at the next Town Election on April 9th, 2012. We need a minimum of 485 signatures (5% of the Sturbridge population) on a petition. At the least, we want residents to know what's going on with CPA; at the most, we hope to revoke the Act.
Here's some info to get the discussion started:
•Sturbridge is currently $4.3 million dollars in long-term CPA debt due to the completion of four very worthwhile CPA projects. Final payoffs on that debt are the years 2017, 2026, and 2030.
•The 3% CPA Surcharge is ON TOP OF the current tax rate of $17.63. See the figures below that help put it into perspective: our town has the second highest property tax rate in comparison to nine surrounding communities. From a homebuyer perspective, Sturbridge’s property taxes are off-putting.
•We need to revoke the Community Preservation Act and stop new spending….NOW. The 3% Surcharge can only be rescinded when all the debt is paid – we’re talking 2030, folks!
•Currently, our annual CPA debt service exceeds our annual CPA Surcharge Revenues: the anticipated 2012 Surcharge Revenue is $360,000; the annual debt service is $413,482. *The Massachusetts Department of Revenue has opined that when communities consider borrowing to fund large CPA projects, the debt service should not exceed the annual revenues – but Sturbridge’s does.
•When the CPA was adopted, the state match was at 100%. Now, the match is 23%; as more towns adopt the CPA, the percentage of state matching funds declines.
Why revoke the CPA?
Reason 1:We are $4.3 million in CPA debt that we must pay until 2030. We do not feel it is appropriate to fund any new projects, esp in light of the 2011 natural disasters and the town’s current budget situation. The CPA can be brought back by voters at a later date if they so choose.
Reason 2:In addition to the 3% Surcharge Revenue, the town relies on other fund balances within the local Community Preservation Fund to pay the long-term debt; but those funds are being spent on new, smaller projects on an annual basis. For example, at the June 2011 Town Meeting, voters approved $58,000 in five smaller projects – should that money be saved for when the state-match is reduced or depleted? Or can it be used to more quickly pay down the long-term debt principal and interest?
Reason 3: Taxpayers need a break! We cannot revoke the 3% surcharge until the debt is paid; but we can revoke the Community Preservation Act and stop new projects from coming forward. We can stop further debt build-up, and we can stop funding new, smaller projects that deter funds away from our current debt.
FY 2012 Property Tax Rates (All communities except Webster have a single tax classification)
Rates are per $1,000 of assessed valuation (Source: MA Department of Revenue)
Brimfield $14.48
Brookfield $16.45
Charlton $12.00
Dudley $10.90
East Brookfield $14.22
Holland $15.18
Spencer $12.28
Southbridge $17.83
Sturbridge $17.63 (+3%)
Webster $11.78 (Residential)$18.47 (Comm’l & Industrial)
*MA Department of Revenue Opinions 2006-50 and 2004-464: "The amount of debt that a municipality may authorize under the Community Preservation Act is limited in amount to that payable from estimated SURCHARGE REVENUES over the life of the borrowings. (3/6/2006)." http://www.mass.gov/dor/local-officials/municipal-finance-law/in-our-opinion.html.
Carol, Dave and Barbara,
ReplyDeleteThank you for the comment and if you don't mind I will copy your comment and make it a separate post. Feel free to email me at imjustmusing@gmail with anything else. This is right up my keyboard as the saying goes.
Also any or all of you would be welcome to speak at one of the Sturbridge Tea party meetings.