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justme
Advanced Member
1428 Posts |
 Posted - 07/25/2007 : 7:14:19 PM
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Yes, the statement is extreme CK, but we're dealing with extreme circumstances!
John McCarthy supported this fool we have for a mayor. I wonder what he thinks of what's going on? |
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tetris
Moderator
2040 Posts |
Posted - 07/26/2007 : 12:25:48 AM
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Tails,
Let me try to help you out. I believe that you are refering to the residential homeowner's exemption which would be applied to your tax bill. It is only a rumour at this point. The mayor was dead set against it last year but claims to be reconsidering it. It's supposed to be a lot of work for the assessor office so it would have made some sense to have already introduced if it takes four readings to get it passed (not certain about that) and there are no more meetings scheduled until September. Even so, there is probably still enough time to do it. Would have been nice though if the decision was made in time for the first FY08 tax bill. Probably won't make it into the second FY08 tax bill either since that bill needs to be generated before October 1 for a November 1 due date.
Traditionally, the tax rate is not set until later in the fall. It used to happen before the final election; but, in recent years, it has not been set until later in November. It all depended on when the paperwork needed for the DOR to certify the tax rate gets submitted and how backed up the DOR is at the time. Therefore, you will not see the new tax rate reflected in your tax bill until the bill you receive in January for payment by February 1.
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justme
Advanced Member
1428 Posts |
Posted - 07/26/2007 : 05:37:34 AM
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| That's the same exemption hanlon accused Ragucci of using as a ploy to get re-elected, isn't it tetris? I know he mentioned it a few times, but with the budget as large as it is, the city needs all the revenue it can get to prevent needing an override. I would think our financial situation should be a bit more stable [than it appears right now] before something like that is implemented. |
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tetris
Moderator
2040 Posts |
Posted - 07/26/2007 : 06:50:48 AM
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I've posted on this issue before. The amount of taxes raised will be the same whether or not the residential exemption is offered or not; what it really does is re-allocates who pays the taxes. So it is possible to implement it even in the city's current financial situation.
In my opinion, the mayor hasn't really changed his mind on implementing the exemption. If he had, it would have been implemented before the first tax bill for FY08 went out. What I believe he is doing is waiting for the results of the primary before he decides whether or not to use it as a political tool. If he doesn't make it out of the primary, no one gets it. If he does make out of the primary and he thinks introducing the exemption will sway the voters that he needs to win the final election, then he will introduce it. I could be wrong but it's just my opinion. |
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justme
Advanced Member
1428 Posts |
Posted - 07/26/2007 : 07:26:27 AM
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You're right......... I keep drawing a blank on that one! I agree he'll use it only if he's still standing after the primary.
As much as I'd like a break with the amount of my tax increase, I'm more interested in seeing a new mayor elected. No matter who gets in, I expect they'll [at least] try to control spending which has certainly is not in hanlon's repertoire! |
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Lynda
Advanced Member
1282 Posts |
Posted - 07/26/2007 : 09:51:23 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by keanu
Lynda maybe someone needs to cut out your income. Go live on the streets. Go to work everyday not knowing if your gonna have a job in a week and be able to make a mortgage or rent payment. Give me a break. Life must be too easy for you because you care less about other people you high and mighty jerk. What comes around WILL go around.
Do you really think ANY of these NEW hires didn't know what they were getting themselves into by excepting a job from this administration? Come on. Do they have ears? eyes? They knew when they took these jobs number one that they would only be employed until the next Mayoral election and number two that the made up job could be extinguished at any given moment.
Lynda |
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Court4Fred
Advanced Member
1201 Posts |
Posted - 07/26/2007 : 10:03:45 AM
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Don't forget....it's in September that the DOR certifies the budget. If the DOR thinks for a minute that the administration's revenue projections are overly optimistic and the budget is over 2 1/2 - the budget won't get certified. My money's on the auditor; the guy knows his stuff.
Be patient, folks....you don't need to lynch anyone. With this latest sleight of hand over the budget, Hanlon's given himself plenty of rope to do it himself. |
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Tails
Administrator
2682 Posts |
Posted - 07/26/2007 : 11:01:15 AM
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| I always thought the residential homeowner's exemption was for people over 70 that live in their homes. Am I mistaken? Are you telling me that there are no funds in city hall that can be applied to the tax rate to help the tax payers out this year? I want to know what my new mortgage payment is going to be with the new tax rate before the election. This is what will determine who I vote for. Thank you tetris for the info. |
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justme
Advanced Member
1428 Posts |
Posted - 07/26/2007 : 12:22:00 PM
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Okay Court, don't keep us in suspense. What happens if DOR doesn't certify the budget? It seems to me it would be more difficult to fix three months from now.............. This just gets better and better, doesn't it?
Tails the exemption we're talking about is for owner occupied residences. Age has nothing to do with it. There are restrictions on size (# of units if multi-family) and value. Also property in Trust doesn't qualify.
There doesn't appear to be any funds available to help the taxpayers out this year. At the end of FY07, there was only about 2 - 2.5 million left in free cash. The current administration has been throwing money around like we've all got trees growing somewhere to replace it. My tree died a long time ago. It never gave me much anyway. Mostly pennies with an occasional nickel or dime, never anything larger! |
Edited by - justme on 07/26/2007 12:22:52 PM |
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tetris
Moderator
2040 Posts |
Posted - 07/26/2007 : 12:58:16 PM
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Tails,
Sorry that I didn't hit what you were looking for exactly on the nose. The residential homeower exemption would be for anyone's primary residence. The problem with it is for the elderly who live in their home but the home is held a trust. Depending on how this situation was set up, they may not qualify for the exemption. Since the home owner exemption is provided for under state law, this is not easily changed. However, the city does offer some other tax exemptions/abatements for the elderly which are in effect every year.
Since you have clarified what you were looking for, I offer the following. The tax levy can be reduced by a transfer from free cash, the stabilization fund or any other "found" money that can be located. Any transfers would need to be approved by the BOA & the CC. The amount of free cash that the city has will not be known until the DOR certifies it (at the same time as the tax rate I believe but, I could be wrong). Until the amount of free cash is known, I don't believe we can rely on any of it being applied to the tax levy. I believe that the Mayor promised that he would propose applying $1,000,000 of free cash to the tax levy but that is really an empty promise until the amount of free cash is known. I doubt that the city council would approve a transfer from the stabilization fund to reduce the tax levy. That fund is just getting back to a level needed to support the city's current bond rating. The "found" money that I referred to is money that has been set aside for some other purpose that is no longer needed for that purpose. In the last couple of years, this has included things like money set aside for prior year tax abatements and money set aside for renovations of the Central Fire Station (not that renovations aren't required; the money set aside just wasn't enough to do it.) It is unlikely that there is a lot of this type of money available but you never know. (Ragu's auditor found the fire station money after the election had already been lost!)
The thing that throws any possible reduction to tax levy into question is the need to use this same money to prevent any possible budget shortfall. Because of the way that this whole budget situation has gone down, I highly doubt that the BOA & the CC will approve any transfers to balance the budget. I believe that they will force the mayor to cut the budget if this occurs. But, you never know in this city.
Therefore, I still don't have a good answer as to what your tax bill could be. I would direct you to the assessor's office but I really don't think that they would be willing to be much help until the tax rate gets set. Sorry to say but I really don't think you'll get the information you want before the final election. |
Edited by - tetris on 07/26/2007 1:20:49 PM |
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tetris
Moderator
2040 Posts |
Posted - 07/26/2007 : 1:04:54 PM
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Tails,
FYI, Justme explained the limitations of the residential homeowner's exemption much better than I did; I didn't see that post before I posted mine. Thanks Justme! |
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Citizen Kane
Advanced Member
1082 Posts |
Posted - 07/27/2007 : 1:00:36 PM
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Oh, Lou . . . . what a thrill to have you and your little fantasy world back with us. And please . . . no one is buying your nonsense here any more than the are at the Mirror. You know, somewhere in your clouded view of reality, that Ragucci had nothing to do with the problems in Stoneham. Those problems had been going on long before he was hired by them.
As for tax increases . . . your buddy Hanlon has bloated up his budget for two years, and last year Everett had the largest tax increase in the state. He is trying to use some half baked technicality to push through his original budget which, if the state does not certify his revenue projections, is going to require a vote on a Prop 2 1/2 override.
So, Louie, spin 'til you're dizzy -- most rational thinking people -- average citizens, as you like to call them, know that Hanlon is the worst mayor that this city has ever seen. |
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Fedup
Member
86 Posts |
Posted - 07/27/2007 : 7:17:52 PM
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| What frightens me about the tax exemption is what happened to us in the past two years. We had the 20% exemption and then the following year, the taxes increased the amount of the exemption plus the new rate. I believe that the same thing will happen over the next two years. There are no guarantees that we will receive the exemption every year. So, when you come right down to the bottom line - does it really help us? I am also disturbed by what is taking place regarding the budget. This mayor will stop at nothing to show that he is in charge. All this business about breaking laws - don't we taxpayers pay Mr. Burley and Mr. Mattarazzo, in addition to the city solicitor to have the knowledge required to be able to say whether or not what the BOA and CC are doing is legal? |
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Citizen Kane
Advanced Member
1082 Posts |
Posted - 07/27/2007 : 7:39:39 PM
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No, we don't pay Burley and Matarazzo to render legal opinions. We do pay John Kryzovic to do that, but the only opinions Kryzovic has ever rendered are the ones the mayor has told him to put forward. That's been true of any administration he's served under.
What is most appalling is that Hanlon appeared before the BOA on Monday and spoke NOT ONE WORD about his plans to implement his original budget. He acted like a coward, and he's setting this city up for disaster. People should be calling for his resignation. |
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justme
Advanced Member
1428 Posts |
Posted - 07/27/2007 : 8:54:37 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Citizen Kane
What is most appalling is that Hanlon appeared before the BOA on Monday and spoke NOT ONE WORD about his plans to implement his original budget. He acted like a coward, and he's setting this city up for disaster. People should be calling for his resignation.
Why does that surprise you CK? He's forced people to take the blame for his bad decisions since day one. On those few occasions when he's addressed any of the issues directly, he's read a prepared speech and refused to take questions. The man should be ashamed of himself but apparently doesn't have the intelligence necessary to realize that! |
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Budget
