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arthur
Senior Member
212 Posts |
 Posted - 12/09/2007 : 05:25:11 AM
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EVERETT
Blaze sparks safety concerns
Long-delayed work on roads is at issue
By Kay Lazar, Globe Staff | December 9, 2007
State Senator Anthony Galluccio is hesitant to call it a "silver lining."
But the Democrat, who represents Everett, said Wednesday's river of fire, ignited by a speeding tanker truck that rolled over on Sweetser Circle, spotlights a major safety issue in that stretch of roadway that state officials have long ignored.
Heavy trucks, including many carrying hazardous materials from the nearby Everett Terminal and Distrigas LNG facilities, are forced to travel Everett's confusing traffic circles because the nearby Alford Street bridge - a prime connector to Interstate 93 - has been closed to heavy trucks for more than four years. The bridge, owned by the city of Boston, is slated for a $36 million overhaul, but work is not expected to start before 2009.
"It's neither safe or efficient for those trucks to be heading into Everett when they really want to go to 93," Galluccio said. "An area, that has been in dire need for decades, could finally get the attention it warrants."
Officials said truck driver Chad LaFrance, who was cited for speeding, filled up at the Everett Terminal before losing control of his rig and rolling over around 1:30 a.m. Wednesday. The truck's 9,400 gallons of fuel ignited a fire that torched 21 cars, set a pair of three-deckers ablaze on nearby Main Street, and left at least 13 families homeless. No one was injured.
The Alford Street bridge, a popular route into Boston for motorists trying to avoid Tobin Bridge tolls, has been closed to trucks heavier than 18 tons - half the weight of the largest modern carriers - since mid-2003, said Highway Department spokesman Adam Hurtubise. But Boston officials have been contemplating bridge repairs for much longer than that. Dennis Royer, Boston's chief of public works and transportation, said they have been studying repair plans for the bridge for the past eight years.
"It takes a number of years to get to this point," Royer said. "A new bridge is on the horizon."
Royer, however, said he could not say how long it would be before a new bridge, funded largely by federal dollars, would be completed.
But the Alford Street bridge impasse is only half of the traffic safety nightmare for that congested area of Everett.
The busy stretch of Route 16 that connects Sweetser Circle with Santilli Circle a few hundred yards up the road is poorly designed, according to Everett offiicials who have long lobbied for a major overhaul. Back in 2004, Everett Common Councilor Anthony Ranieri assembled a committee to study traffic patterns in that area and recommend ways to improve traffic flow. Ranieri and others say Santilli Circle, once considered by state officials to be the 32d most dangerous intersection in Massachusetts, has gotten worse since the adjacent Gateway Center shopping center opened in 2000. That area of roadway, including the two rotaries, is owned by the state's Department of Conservation and Recreation. Ranieri said the committee was making headway until the DCR's liaison was fired a couple of years ago for unrelated reasons. Progress after that, he said, went downhill, and the committee eventually disbanded.
"The DCR just yessed us to death and did nothing," Ranieri said.
DCR spokeswoman Wendy Fox said the agency would welcome calls from Everett to address the issue again.
Among the issues Ranieri cited are a lack of signs in the rotary to help direct motorists through the confusing interchange.
"There is not one sign telling people where to go to get to Best Buy. All you have is an arrow," he said. "When they figure out it's the wrong way, they back out onto traffic going 40 or 50 miles an hour."
Ward 3 Alderman Stephen "Stat" Smith, who also is a state representative, said he and others aren't suggesting that poor traffic designs are the cause for Wednesday's conflagration. But he said the accident may finally focus state dollars toward Everett's considerable traffic safety issues. He said he and Galluccio are working to add an amendment to Governor Deval Patrick's recently filed transportation bond bill to get funding for Everett.
"The governor called me . . . from China, and he said anything we can do to rectify the situation will be done," Smith said.
As Everett begins the process of rebuilding and repairing the structures damaged and destroyed in the fire, city officials tomorrow night will honor 10 residents who helped rescue senior citizens from their smoke-filled building.
"These are people who, as they were running out of their house losing their home, thought to think about someone else," said Common Councilor Joe Hickey.
Among those to be honored at 7 p.m. at City Hall are Chris Baro; Edward Baro; Matt Baro; John Bertoncini; Johnny Bertoncini; Jimmy Bertoncini; Justin Bertoncini; Joel Derivois, Jr.; Aaron Giglio; and Laura Houlihan.
Kay Lazar can be reached at klazar@globe.com.
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arthur
Senior Member
212 Posts |
Posted - 12/09/2007 : 05:27:42 AM
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REGION
Toll trauma
Massport is cracking down with $50 fines for bridge scofflaws
By Erin Ailworth, Globe Staff | December 9, 2007
Used to be that if you had no cash while crossing the Tobin Bridge into Boston, you got an envelope to send in the toll money you owed. These days, it could be $50 a pop.
Revere resident Jan Dumas took the hit twice in one day when she said her Fast Lane transponder failed and she had to back up her car to go through a cash lane - only to find she didn't have any money. So, she got two $50 fines: the first for trying to go through the Fast Lane unsuccessfully, and the second for going through the cash lane without paying.
Brenda MacDonald of Canada only got fined once. It was last December when she arrived at the tollbooth but couldn't find the wallet in which she always stores a little US currency. The Canadian $10 bill she offered the toll collector didn't go over too well.
Thousands of others also have been stung by the policy, which was instituted just over a year ago by the Massachusetts Port Authority to cut down on the number of inbound drivers not paying at the booth. So far, it's working.
Rick Handman, an assistant director at Massport, said toll workers now are doling out about half as many violations a day as they once did.
"It was a courtesy to people who didn't have any money, and we found that was being abused and we were giving out 80 [envelopes] a day," Handman said. "Some people would save their envelopes until the end of the month, add them all up, and send us a check . . . and it was costing us more in administrative effort than we were collecting from the $3."
Under the Failure to Pay Toll Violation Program, 11,624 drivers received "violation information statements" for the $50 fine, handed out at the toll booths, from September 2006 to August, according to numbers obtained from Massport by the Globe through a public records request. About 200 fewer drivers then got a mailed violation notice with payment instructions, according to Massport.
Not all drivers must shell out the full $50 fine.
First-time Tobin Bridge toll offenders pay $6 if they settle their fine within 21 days of receiving the mailed notice. As of August, 5,419 drivers had paid the $6 or had their fine minimized for another reason, Massport numbers show. The original $50 fine goes up the longer it's unpaid. After the first 21 days, drivers must pay an additional $5. After 45 days, an additional $15 charge is levied.
Judy Hankins, a Lowell resident, doesn't care how much her fine is. She's not paying.
"It's absolutely ludicrous that they would just assume you should pay a $50 ticket," said Hankins, whose daughter went through the toll in Hankins's car after getting lost on the way home from a job interview. "Ten dollars, $15 [sure], but $50 is absolutely ridiculous . . . it's 16 times the original toll."
Through August, Massport collected $206,552 of revenue in no-pay toll violations. However, agency spokesman Matthew Brelis added, Massport records also showed that the agency had lost $44,708 in revenue from unpaid tolls in that time frame. In addition, Massport is paying a data collection agency $30,595 to record violation information sent in by toll workers, and to track down vehicle registrations.
Take all that into account, according to Massport, and the agency has netted $131,249 from the program.
Some drivers have been frustrated by the new program - because of the high price and what they described as a convoluted payment process.
Jason DuBose was driving home to Pawtucket, R.I., when he tried to cross the Tobin but realized that he couldn't get to his wallet, which he'd locked in the trunk. Because his violation notice was mailed to the company from which he leases his car, DuBose didn't get it until the fine had been upped to $55. He ended up paying the $6 reduced fee, but only after contacting Massport.
"I had to write a letter to them explaining exactly what had happened," DuBose said. "It would have been nice if someone had given me an envelope that told me right there what I had to pay: $6."
Dumas said she tried to appeal both her fines but ended up paying $100 total to settle the tickets after getting a response from Massport on only one of the fines.
"I tried to challenge them . . . and the response I got back was that I should have known I didn't have the money available to go through the booth," she said.
And what if you are one of the 1,650 drivers Massport currently counts as not paying their toll at all? After 60 days, Massport sends your license and registration information to the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles for nonrenewal. Out-of-state drivers have their information sent to a collection agency.
Hankins, of Lowell, may be one of those 1,650 drivers. She hasn't paid the fine her daughter received several months ago. Nor will she appeal, she said. Massport numbers show Hankins wouldn't have much success.
The agency received 263 appeals by mail from September 2006 to August and held 12 hearings. All appeals were denied, according to Massport, though an unspecified number of fines were reduced.
Despite the odds, David Russo of Watertown is fighting the Sept. 21 ticket he received in the mail. After all, Russo said, he and his 1995 purple Saturn were nowhere near the Tobin when his vehicle was supposedly photographed dodging the toll.
"I was here, right where I am now: at my desk at work," said Russo, a federal Medicare employee with the payroll records to prove his whereabouts. "I'd love to see a photocopy of the photograph they took of that car. . . . I just don't use toll roads."
Erin Ailworth can be reached at eailworth@globe.com.
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charm
Senior Member
264 Posts |
Posted - 12/20/2007 : 05:35:53 AM
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Helping hands needed
Recent catastrophes have strained resources of public, private agencies
By Kathy McCabe, Globe Staff | December 20, 2007
The tragedies that have hit the North region in the past 13 months have sounded the alarm for charitable donations. People are homeless, short of cash, and still in shock. Their grief has touched the emotional heart of each community, none of which has great wealth. Still, thousands of dollars have been donated to help the victims and survivors of the unusual spate of explosions and serious fires, three of which occurred in the last two months.
An eight-alarm fire destroyed an old apartment house and a beloved synagogue in Gloucester. A tanker truck carrying 9,400 gallons of gasoline crashed in Everett, igniting a wall of fire that destroyed two triple-deckers and 21 cars. A steam explosion at Salem Harbor Power Station killed three workers, leaving two families fatherless and a third mourning a son. An ink and paint factory blew up, flattening a Danvers neighborhood.
In Gloucester, where the fire that began Friday night was the biggest in recent history, the blaze destroyed a 25-unit apartment house and Temple Ahavat Achim, the only synagogue on Cape Ann. Almost from the first flicker of flame, people rushed to supply food for more than 100 firefighters who battled the blaze and offer support to more than 30 people left homeless.
"That's Gloucester," said Mayor John Bell, his eyes moist, as he visited the still-smoldering fire on Monday. "We're a community that historically has suffered great losses. But we have also learned to cope with tragedy, and do our best."
The need comes as charitable organizations face greater demand for services. The high cost of gasoline and home heating bills this winter, along with the ongoing foreclosure crisis, have strained already thin budgets, social service providers said.
"The line outside my door gets longer and longer," said Ralph Johnson, director of housing at Action Inc., the Gloucester nonprofit collecting clothes for fire victims. "People can't afford heat, electricity. They're looking for low-cost housing, food. . . . The need is much greater, and started earlier, than in years past."
In Everett, where the Dec. 5 tanker rollover left 47 people homeless, the fire has taxed the city's human services department "to the limit," director Carolyn Lightburn said. Some still are looking for permanent housing. They're now in hotels, paid for with donations from the Main Street Relief Fund. "I can't put a family out in this kind of weather," Lightburn said.
November and December are big months for holiday giving, but they also are hard times to raise emergency funds.
Individual donors may have already pledged to their favorite charity in time to claim a year-end tax break.
Charitable foundations, which often disperse major gifts on a planned schedule, have doled out all their money for the year.
"A lot of people have reached their limit," said Charlie Vose, vice chairman of the disaster services for the American Red Cross of Northeast Massachusetts, which is helping the Gloucester victims. "It's really a tough time of year to be looking to raise money."
But when disaster strikes locally, people have big hearts. In Danversport, where 70 homes and businesses were destroyed or damaged Nov. 22, 2006, private contributions to The Danversport Relief Fund total about $500,000.
The Dominion Survivors Fund, set up to aid the families of Salem power plant workers Mark Mansfield of Peabody, Phillip Robinson of Beverly, and Matthew Indeglia of Lawrence, who died Nov. 6, has so far raised more than $100,000, with donations coming from Dominion workers across the country, according to the union at the plant.
And Everett Mayor John Hanlon on Tuesday said $40,000 will be distributed this week from the Main Street Relief Fund to the 47 victims.
"They need the money to live," he said. "Some people are still living in hotels, or with friends. They need to get started again."
A $10,000 donation to The Gloucester Fund, a charitable trust, was made by the owners of the burned-down Lorraine Apartments. They also are paying for people to stay at the Cape Ann Marina Resort.
"We feel very bad about what happened," said Gary Raso, one of three landlords. "We want to help them find new apartments."
More than 30 lived in the 25-unit building on Middle Street. Rents ranged from $800 to $1,200 per month, drawing a mix of elderly, young couples, and parents with teens or young adult children.
One resident, Robert L. Taylor, 70, the building's beloved handyman, died in the fire after being trapped in his third-floor apartment.
"I started to shake a little when I got here," said former resident Ed Herman, 52, on Monday, returning to the site for the first time. "It's unbelievable what happened."
The Gloucester fire likely started in the basement of the almost 100-year-old wooden structure. It spread rapidly through the floors and walls, filling the white building with thick, black smoke.
All but Taylor, who had hip problems and lived alone, made it out.
"The real tragedy here is Bob Taylor," said Herman, an artist, who lost 150 oil paintings in the blaze. "I remember seeing his arms waving out the window. It looked like he was trying to reach for somebody."
Herman helped Gloucester fire and police try to save Taylor. He held a flashlight on the window while a ladder was put up to the narrow opening. "We were chanting 'Bob,Bob, put your head out,' " said Herman, a friend of the victim's. "But he didn't make it."
Most residents lost all their possessions. Few are believed to have had insurance.
Herman - who fled in jeans, a black sweater, canvas jacket, and high rubber boots - is heartened by the offers of help. "There are a lot of beautiful people out there," he said, standing by the charred rubble of his former home. "I believe that."
Kay Lazar of the Globe staff contributed to this story. Kathy McCabe can be reached at kmccabe@globe.com.
How to help
Funds to assist residents affected by recent tragedies in Danvers, Everett, Gloucester, and Salem have been set up. Here's how anyone can contribute.
Danvers
The Danversport Relief Fund continues to receive donations for blast victims. Send to The Danversport Relief Fund, c/o Danversbank, 1 Conant St., Danvers, MA 01923
Everett
The Main Street Relief Fund assists residents left homeless by a Dec. 7 gas tanker rollover. Send contributions to the fund c/o Eagle Bank, 466 Broadway, Everett, MA 02149
Gloucester
The Gloucester Fund asks for a note indicating if the donation is to help people left homeless by the Dec. 14 fire or to aid Temple Ahavat Achim. Send contributions to The Gloucester Fund, 45 Middle St., Gloucester, MA 01930. Checks with "Middle Street fire" noted in the memo also can be sent to Action Inc., 5 Pleasant St., Gloucester, MA 01930. The American Red Cross of Northeast Massachusetts wants to collect $40,000 to $50,000 for its emergency disaster fund to help Gloucester fire victims. Contributions can be sent to the agency's office at 100 Cummings Center, Suite 201F, Beverly, MA 01915
Salem
Dominion Survivors Fund, to aid the families of three workers killed at the Salem Harbor Power Station Nov. 6. Send contributions to IBEW Local 326 First Choice Credit Union, 55 Marston St., Lawrence, MA 01840.
Compiled by Kathy McCabe
© Copyright 2007 The New York Times Company
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arthur
Senior Member
212 Posts |
Posted - 12/22/2007 : 10:26:49 AM
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Ex-hubby warned slain Everett mom
By Marie Szaniszlo | Saturday, December 22, 2007 | You must be logged in to see this link. | Local Coverage
Photo by Mark Garfinkel
The ex-husband of an Everett mother gunned down in her home Thursday by an ex-boyfriend said he “warned her to lock all her doors” the night before her murder.
“She told me he was stalking her at work and calling her 40 times a day,” Samir Moric of Chelsea said, referring to a conversation he had with his ex-wife, Altijana “Tina” Moric, about 44-year-old Edward Pettengill of East Boston.
“She was too strong. She told me only a couple of times that something was wrong. I wish I had been there,” said Moric, whose ex-wife, a Bosnian immigrant, gave her life to save their 11-year-old daughter, Nadina.
The revelation came at a gathering in memory of Tina Moric, 36, last night at the Everett Armory, where Massachusetts first lady Diane Patrick said the state must redouble its efforts to prevent domestic violence.
“I’m hoping there is something to be gained by this loss,” said Gov. Deval Patrick’s wife, who attended the same anti-domestic violence fund-raiser where Tina Moric volunteered early this year.
Shortly after 11 p.m. Wednesday, Moric and her boyfriend, 36-year-old Joseph Scimemi, found the tires on both their cars slashed outside her home at 21 Russell St.
Shortly before 12:30 a.m. Thursday, Pettengill shot the lock off the back door with a shotgun, wounded Scimemi in the arm and stormed into Moric’s apartment, where she had hidden her daughter under a blanket, officials and neighbors said.
When Pettengill pulled back the blanket, Moric tackled him and told her daughter, “Run, Nadina, run!”
Both the girl and Scimemi escaped. But when Ruth Giannasoli, who lives on the first floor, opened her door, she said, she heard Pettengill tell Moric, “You’re going to die tonight.”
When police entered the apartment less than a half-hour later, they found Moric and Pettengill dead.
Nadina is now living with Moric’s sister, who plans a quiet Christmas for her niece.
“I know she misses her mom,” said Nadina’s father, who was married to Moric for 15 years. “I know she’s afraid. One way or another, she’s going to feel the pain of having to live without a mother.”
Donations may be made to the Tina Moric Memorial Fund in care of the Metro Credit Union, 200 Revere Beach Parkway, Chelsea, MA 02150.
Article URL: You must be logged in to see this link.
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michael
Senior Member
195 Posts |
Posted - 12/23/2007 : 06:33:02 AM
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Taxes up as communities are buried in bills
Healthcare, pension, energy costs cited
By Kathy McCabe, Globe Staff | December 23, 2007
Property taxes will jump a few hundred dollars in January in municipalities across the region, as local officials raise money to pay for rising health care, pension, and utility costs.
"Almost universally across the state, communities have a lack of money to pay for services," said Lynn Mayor Edward J. Clancy Jr. "We do all that we can to hold the line on taxes. The ideal thing would be to keep tax increases in line with inflation. . . . But that is not easy to accomplish."
Lynn, the region's largest city, will hike bills 5 percent, to $3,140 per year for the average homeowner, the third-lowest annual bill in the North area after Salisbury ($3,005) and Peabody ($3,050).
At the other end is Wenham, which was awaiting word late last week on state approval of a $12.92 rate for fiscal 2008 that would push the average bill to $7,959, a $350 increase. Second on the area list is Manchester-by-the-Sea, where the average home is assessed at $1 million and tax bills will average $7,905, a $287 increase. In Boxford, the average bill will be $7,423, an increase of $343.
Salem's average property tax bill will hit $4,054, an all-time high that is $227 more than homeowners paid last year, according to data presented last week at a City Council meeting.
In Everett, which has a large industrial base, homeowners will pay an average of $686 more: $3,523. Danvers's bills are going up $196, a 5 percent hike that will boost the average to $4,230.
The increase will be reflected in third-quarter tax bills due to go out Dec. 31. New tax rates for communities were approved this month by the state Department of Revenue. State law limits the amount of property taxes a community can collect to no more than 2.5 percent more than the prior year, excluding new growth.
"Our costs just keep going up," said Mayor Robert J. Dolan of Melrose, where the average bill will rise to $4,409. "But there is no way of getting out of this circle without raising revenue."
With the exception of Boston, where a boom in commercial/industrial values will lead to lower residential tax bills this fiscal year, the outlook for most Bay State homeowners is not so promising, according to the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, an independent, non-partisan organization focusing on tax policies.
"Cities and towns are in an extended period of fiscal squeeze," said Michael J. Widmer, executive director of the foundation. "The fundamental problem is that underlying costs are growing faster than underlying revenues."
The foundation's annual property tax survey, due to be released this month, will show that property taxes, including residential and commercial, will go up 5.1 statewide, Widmer said.
"It's better than the plus-6 percent rate we saw earlier in the decade," Widmer said. "But communities still face the twin challenge of escalating property taxes and declining services."
The tax hikes also come as property assessments in some communities have remained flat or declined.
In Lynn, for example, the average value of a single-family home in 2007, compared with the year before, remained at $286,000. But Peabody's average assessed value declined 10 percent, to $351,800, while in Danvers, single-family assessments dropped 6 percent, to $406,800, data shows.
Lower assessments do not mean lower tax bills because a community still has to raise a certain amount of money to pay its bills. "Tax bills go up because city spending goes up," said Peter Caron, the city assessor in Lynn.
In Nahant, a peninsula town with no commercial tax base, property tax bills will increase an average of $800, to $5,306. The rise is due to a tax increase approved by voters three years ago to renovate the town's only elementary school and the Board of Selectmen's decision to shift the water and sewer debt to property tax bills.
"We had the cheapest tax bills and the highest water bills on the North Shore," said Selectman Robert Frary. "It was a poor decision, in the past, to put the debt we owed on the water bills. It's infrastructure improvements, and it belongs on the tax bills, so we shifted it there."
Frary said the move will enable taxpayers to claim the debt as a deduction.
One Nahant resident thinks the shift makes sense. "Our water bill was really, really high," said Kathy Ryan, 43, a mother of two. "I'm never for more taxes. But our tax rate was pretty low. I think the assessments have always been fair."
Another Nahant homeowner, Loreen Tirrell, said, "We have to look, as a town, at how to generate revenue that doesn't totally put it on the back of taxpayers." Tirrell, 49, a mother of two school-age children, added, "I've watched my mortgage go up and up and up. A lot of people have."
Some communities have tried to ease the burden of tax hikes on homeowners by adopting tax exemptions.
State law allows a community to grant exemptions to owner-occupied properties, where a discount of up to 20 percent is subtracted from the total average assessment.
Most single-family homeowners in Chelsea qualify for the exemption, said Ken Stein, city assessor.
Everett revived the exemption this year after suspending it last year. Malden adopted the exemption for the first time this year, allowing a 5 percent discount. "We've taken a cautious approach," said Bob Donnelly, city assessor.
So far, 7,641 of the city's 12,400 single-family homeowners have signed up for the exemption. The average tax bill for a homeowner who opts in would total $2,960,, instead of $3,149, according to the assessor's office.
Other communities have turned to commercial growth to avoid steep residential increases.
In Haverhill, where the average tax bill will go up $89 to $3,300, new retail development, including Target and BJ's Wholesale Club, was a boost, Mayor James Fiorentini said.
"We made a tremendous effort" to bring in new retailers, he said, boosting the value of commercial properties. "It was a big, big play for us."
Kathy McCabe can be reached at kmccabe@globe.com.
© Copyright 2007 The New York Times Company
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michael
Senior Member
195 Posts |
Posted - 12/23/2007 : 06:46:18 AM
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On the up and up
Local communities that had set a homeowners' property tax rate for Fiscal Year 2008, which begins July 1, as of Wednesday
December 23, 2007
Because it has not funded its teachers' contract, the town of Saugus cannot set its rate, by order of the Massachusetts Department of Revenue. All rates are per $1,000 of value as assessed by each city and town:
City/town FY 2007 tax rate FY 2008 tax rate Average single-family bill (FY 2008) Increase
Amesbury $13.16 $14.60 $5,025 $203
Beverly $10.14 $10.40 $4,751 $128
Boxford $10.46 $10.95 $7,423 $343
Chelsea* $9.33 $9.95 NA NA
Danvers $9.32 $10.40 $4,230 $196
Essex $10.05 $10.75 $5,539 $341
Everett $8.34 $10.35 $3,523 $686
Georgetown $9.05 $9.30 $4,118 $132
Gloucester $8.61 $9.11 $4,645 $130
Groveland $9.77 $10.13 $4,037 $166
Hamilton $12.58 $13.39 $7,216 $367
Haverhill $10.32 $10.52 $3,300 $89
Ipswich $8.32 $9.23 $4,760 $298
Lynn $10.40 $10.98 $3,140 $166
Lynnfield $9.51 $10.03 $5,828 $141
Malden $8.25 $9.04 $3,149 $189
Manchester $7.29 $7.53 $7,905 $287
Marblehead $7.76 $8.34 $6,104 $189
Melrose $9.83 $10.43 $4,409 $150
Merrimac $9.99 $10.79 $4,240 $314
Middleton $9.81 $9.69 $5,357 $178
Nahant $7.11 $8.33 $5,306 **$800
Newbury $8.23 $8.57 $4,136 $58
Newburyport $10.09 $10.13 $4,939 $14
Peabody $7.76 $8.67 $3,050 $26
Revere $10.13 $10.13 $3,333 $146
Rockport $8.05 $8.39 $4,526 $95
Rowley $9.78 $10.38 $4,525 $246
Salem $10.77 $11.67 $4,054 $227
Salisbury $8.18 $8.46 $3,005 $57
Swampscott $12.86 $13.63 $7,293 $376
Topsfield $11.57 $12.02 $7,008 $262
Wakefield $9.52 $9.65 $4,101 $95
Wenham*** $11.67 $12.92 $7,959 $350
West Newbury $10.79 $11.34 $6,068 $209
Winthrop $8.82 $9.30 $3,570 $184
*Chelsea is one of the Massachusetts communities that grants exemptions to owner-occupied residences. Because each bill varies, an estimate is not available.
**Nahant bill reflects water/sewer debt added to property tax bill for the first time.
***Wenham was awaiting final approval from state at presstime
SOURCE: MASS. DEPT. OF REVENUE, LOCAL ASSESSOR OFFICES
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Court4Fred
Advanced Member
1201 Posts |
Posted - 12/23/2007 : 09:04:26 AM
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If you're not angry yet...then you're not paying attention.
There is no excuse; I repeat - there is no excuse for the kind of tax increase that Everett is experiencing right now. Only Nahant has a higher rate and that's because the water rate has been factored in. Look at the cities surrounding Everett - Malden, Revere - no where near the expected increase for Everett. And this was AFTER $1.2 million was cut after the election! Can you imagine what this bill would have been if the DOR hadn't reined this clown in? This is the legacy of the Hanlon administration, and it's piss-poor management of the city's resources.
Merry Christmas, everyone. |
Edited by - Court4Fred on 12/23/2007 09:06:37 AM |
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Tails
Administrator
2682 Posts |
Posted - 12/23/2007 : 12:19:41 PM
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I’m sorry, but even with my glasses on I can’t figure this out. The eyes are not what they used to be. For example, can some explain why you have this figure:
Amesbury $13.16 $14.60 $5,025 $203
Then you have this figure:
Everett $8.34 $10.35 $3,523 $686
Why is Everett $686.00 and Amesbury $203.00.
Amesbury seems to be higher in everything but why are they $203.00 and Everett $686.00. I wish I had a home like they do in Amesbury. Thanks in advance and please excuse my ignorance. I am just a common folk that has is paying way more in taxes that what my home is worth and I should be paying more attention.
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tetris
Moderator
2040 Posts |
Posted - 12/23/2007 : 12:39:23 PM
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Court,
You know that I'm no fan of the Hanlon administration but I'm actually going to defend them a little bit here (but only a little).
Part of the tax issue that the city faces is due in part to the underfunding of the pension fund liability that stretches back to prior adminstrations as well; these administrations should share the blame for that part of the problem. The Hanlon administration was mandated to address this issue and did.
I don't think that the Globe data explained the particular situation in Everett clearly enough so that who is effected by the $686 increase is clear. Using the numbers the Globe provided, tax rate - $10.35 per thousand, average single family bill - $3523, the average valuation for a single family home in $340,000 (3523/10.35), in round numbers. This seems about right. If this were the valuation after the 20% owner occupied tax exemption, this would make the average valuation for a single family home $425,000 ($340,000/.8). That seems to be too high. Therefore, using the average valuation of $340,000 for both tax years (which isn't exactly correct but close enough), the average single family tax bill for a qualifying owner occupied property for FY07 would be $2835.60 (340*8.34) and for FY08, it would be $2815.20 (340*.8*10.35). So there would actually be a small decrease.
This is just my interpretation of the numbers and I apologize if I'm wrong. I believe it make some sense though. Since only so much of the city's tax burden can be shifted to commercial property, any tax break given to a portion of the residential tax base would be shifted to the remaining portion of the residential base. It would be interesting to know what the tax rate would have been without the 20% exemption. That's the only real way that we could compare year to year and community to community. |
Edited by - tetris on 12/23/2007 12:44:50 PM |
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Lillian
Member
3 Posts |
Posted - 12/23/2007 : 9:20:41 PM
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| By far this is the most intelligent posts I have read in this forum. This person is articulate, writes perfect English and is educated. Thank you for this post. |
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the penguin
Member
22 Posts |
Posted - 12/25/2007 : 9:33:26 PM
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| Tetris you obviously have no knowledge of municipal finance. Every three years the city MUST do a report on it's unfunded liabiltity for retirement and NO mayor can under fund what the report says....it is illegal. So when you say the tax increae was because of prior administrations it just shows you can throw some BS but you don't know thw law. The taxes went up because Hanlon hired many new people, created new positions and gave outrageous pay raises. Nest time you talk know what you are talking about. |
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justme
Advanced Member
1428 Posts |
Posted - 12/26/2007 : 07:16:00 AM
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Was that really necessary, penguin? Based on the information we heard (on numerous occasions) during the budget fiasco, the pension fund has been under funded by many administrations, for many years. If that information was incorrect, then just say so and tell us where your “correct” information can be obtained.
There’s absolutely no need to respond to Tetris in that manner. He is an intelligent, levelheaded, contributor to the forum and is well regarded by many.
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tetris
Moderator
2040 Posts |
Posted - 12/26/2007 : 07:56:15 AM
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Penguin,
I'm not an expert in municipal finance; never claimed to be (although I and many others have found it necessary to get some education in it over the last 18 months). While I may have been technically incorrect in my usage of the term "under funded", I don't know how the city would have gotten to the point of having $100 million unfunded pension liability as of December 31, 2006 if the pension fund had been adequately funded all along. While I would not disagree that the major portion of the current tax increases are a result of the current administration actions (or inactions, in some cases), I was only trying to point out that the entire problem can not be blamed on them. I could not find the information necessary to quantify how much of the current tax increases can be attributed to the pension issue but if you follow the link below, you'll see that this is going to be a major issue going forward. By the year 2028, the city's annual funding of the pension fund is currently scheduled to be almost triple what was this year.
You must be logged in to see this link.
Lillian, thank you for the compliments; Justme, thank you for the defense and the compliments. |
Edited by - tetris on 12/26/2007 10:27:35 AM |
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Tails
Administrator
2682 Posts |
Posted - 12/26/2007 : 11:57:26 AM
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| Thanks for the link Tetris, the pension fund has clearly been underfunded for years. I hope they can catch up and I hope the new administration learns from this and takes care of it as well. |
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Lillian
Member
3 Posts |
Posted - 12/26/2007 : 9:15:02 PM
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Lquote:
Originally posted by tetris
Penguin,
I'm not an expert in municipal finance; never claimed to be (although I and many others have found it necessary to get some education in it over the last 18 months). While I may have been technically incorrect in my usage of the term "under funded", I don't know how the city would have gotten to the point of having $100 million unfunded pension liability as of December 31, 2006 if the pension fund had been adequately funded all along. While I would not disagree that the major portion of the current tax increases are a result of the current administration actions (or inactions, in some cases), I was only trying to point out that the entire problem can not be blamed on them. I could not find the information necessary to quantify how much of the current tax increases can be attributed to the pension issue but if you follow the link below, you'll see that this is going to be a major issue going forward. By the year 2028, the city's annual funding of the pension fund is currently scheduled to be almost triple what was this year.
You must be logged in to see this link.
Lillian, thank you for the compliments; Justme, thank you for the defense and the compliments.
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arthur
Senior Member
212 Posts |
Posted - 12/27/2007 : 05:13:45 AM
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EVERETT
POLICE SEARCH HIGH SCHOOL - Everett police said they will take a more active approach to curbing drugs and weapons at the high school, following two separate incidents in the past month when officials reported confiscating BB guns from students. Local police, joined by school officials and canine units from eight area law enforcement agencies, conducted a random search of the building last week that turned up no weapons or drugs, said Everett police spokesman Lieutenant Paul Landry. He said 15 teams of canine units, each escorted by a school staffer, went room by room through the new five-story school. Students were led out of each classroom and into the hallway before authorities entered a classroom, he said. The students were instructed to leave all of their books and backpacks in the classrooms during the search. Lockers also were searched, but at no time were the students searched, he said. The action was requested by Superintendent Frederick Foresteire, Landry said. - Kay Lazar December 27, 2007 |
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BOSTON GLOBE
