The latest issue of MassINC’s CommonWealth magazine has a good article on the fiscal perils facing Bay State communities. Residents of Salem, Gloucester and Lawrence, all of which are dealing with significant deficits these days, might want to take note.
Unfortunately author Gabrielle Gurley devotes too much space to municipal leaders’ whining about how they need to raise more revenue, and too little to the root cause of the problem — too much spending.
Then Gov. Mitt Romney raised a good point in a meeting with Eagle-Tribune editors several years ago when he noted how cities and towns continued to award their employees raises and benefits far exceeeding 2.5 percent despite the fact the total amount they can raise via the property tax is limited by law to just that — 2.5 percent.
Where did they think the extra money would come from?
Of course, the state has been complicit in feeding the spending habit by funneling increasing amounts of aid to cities and towns. Perhaps it helps salve the conscience of lawmakers whose constant pandering to the public employee unions has allowed police, firefighters, teachers and others to extort health-insurance and pension benefits from mayors and selectmen that are far in excess of the norm in the private sector.
What’s the average citizens to do? There’s just one thing they can do — say no to increased taxes. They’ve been doing that consistently on requests for general operating overrides, and everyone in government better hope they’re not mad enough to vote for elimination of the state income tax should that initiative petition make it to the ballot next year.
