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Budget

Sunday, April 7, 2013

Mass. Tax Plans: Too Much, Too Soon? Or Too Little, Too Slow?

Should the state forge ahead with Gov. Deval Patrick's bold plan to invest now? Or should it follow the Legislature leadership's proposal to address the bottom line before embarking on bigger initiatives?

  On Thursday Massachusetts legislators answered Gov. Deval Patrick's ambitious plan to raise $1.9 billion for transportation and education with a $500 million plan of their own, which says the governor is asking for too much, too soon as the Bay State shakes off the effects of the Great Recession. Who's right? Should the state forge ahead in a bold plan to invest now? Or should it cautiously address the bottom line before embarking on bigger initiatives?  While Patrick's plan includes funding for both the state transportation system and increased education funding from preschool through college, House and Senate lawmakers eschew new revenue for education, focusing solely on closing the transportation budget gap over the next five years. …

Friday, March 22, 2013

MBTA Could Raise Fares, Defer Maintenance

Without additional funding, MBTA officials are forced to make difficult choices.

  MBTA riders could see fares go up in the not-so-distant future if legislators don’t accept Gov. Deval Patrick’s ambitious funding plan. T General Manager Beverley Scott said Tuesday the T will likely hold off on spending $45 million for preventative maintenance and hike fairs to close a projected budget gap of $117 million, factoring in increased ridership and advertising this year, the Boston Globe reported Wednesday. Director of Strategic Initiatives for the MBTA Charles Planck said at a March 5 MBTA finance committee meeting that fare increases could go up 33 percent under the proposal, which means subway fares would move up from $2 to $2.60. Massachusetts Department of Transportation Secretary and CEO Richard Davey testified before …

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Online Tool Lets Taxpayers See Their Bill Under Patrick Budget Plan

The program also allows users to develop their own plan and see its effects on their tax bill.

  In an effort to further promote his proposed $34.8 billlion budget, Gov. Deval Patrick this week rolled out an online tool that would help families see the effect his plan would have on their bottom line. The tool was released less than a week after Patrick unveiled 400 online maps showing what each district would receive in transportation and education benefits under his tax plan.  "We are proposing meaningful investments in education and transportation, and people want to know what that means for them," Patrick said. "Last week, with the maps, we showed what long-postponed projects would get done in each community. Now, with this tool, we show just what the costs or savings will be for individual households." The program not only lets …

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

PatchCast: Zip Trip, Budgets and Girls Soccer

Your region roundup of news for Tuesday, June 14.

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Friday, April 29, 2011

PatchCast: Strategic Plan, Park Groundbreaking and Job Elimination Proposal

Your region roundup of news for Friday, April 29.

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Friday, April 22, 2011

PatchCast: Budget, Pot Lucks and Opening Day

Your region roundup of news for Friday, April 22.

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Tuesday, April 5, 2011

PatchCast: School Budget, Lowell Mason and Credit Union Theft

A region roundup of news from Tuesday, April 5.

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Monday, December 13, 2010

Fire Dept. Gets $151K for Substitution Costs

The town meeting voted on that issue and several others in its continuation Monday night.

Discussion of Article 16, the appropriation of $151,000 for the Fire Department's Substitution Fund, dominated Monday evening's continuation of the special town meeting at Norwood High School that began last Thursday night. The motion was eventually carried, but not before prolonged discussion and debate among the town meeting members and presentations from both Chief Michael Howard of the Fire Department and Alan Slater of the Fire Department Substitution Review Board. The money in the Substitution Fund is used when department members go on medical, family, vacation or military leave, to temporarily fill those positions. So far in this fiscal year, according to Howard, the department has expended almost $345,000 in substitution costs, out…

Special Town Meeting Continues

A Patch summary of the articles being voted on this evening.

Lengthy discussion of several articles forced Thursday's town meeting to be continued, and the remaining items will be discussed tonight at the Norwood High School at 7:30 p.m. Here's a brief summary of tonight's agenda: Article 13: The Library Board of Trustees is seeking appropriation of $21,782 for wage and salary increases for library employees. The Morrill Memorial Library Staff Association contract had not been ratified in time for the annual town meeting in May, and this article accounts for the same 2.25 percent increase for the current fiscal year. Article 14: This article calls for approval of the arbitration panel's decision to award a total of $205,000 to the Norwood Police Department in retroactive and forward expenses. In …

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Fire Dept. Budget Tops Issues for Town Meeting

Articles tackle substitution costs at the department.

Article 16 of the Town Meeting warrant for this evening would add an additional $202,000 to the fire department budget for substitute pay. Chief Michael Howard asked the Board of Selectmen on Tuesday night to support the article, which he says is necessary to keep the fire department's staffing at 14 through the end of the fiscal year. "I continue to be very concerned about that," he told the board. Howard said he recently answered the letter from the Finance Commission requesting information on how much money would be saved if the department remained at 13 through end of the fiscal year. His report stated that the cost would be approximately $41,000 less through June 30, 2011, if the department does not fill the vacant 14th spot. However…

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