The proposals for an operating override and two debt exclusions — to be decided by voters in the March 14 Special Election — are designed to address a broad range of services and capital improvements. Operating Override The operating override, if approved, represents a permanent increase in the tax levy…
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The proposals for an operating override and two debt exclusions, to be decided by voters in the March 14 special election, would each add to property-tax bills. The illustration in this article is based on the City’s example of the median home value in Newton, $1.2 million. The tax bill…
Several nonprofit organizations have publicly stated their views on three tax increases proposed by Mayor Ruthanne Fuller that will be decided by the three ballot questions in the March 14 election. One proposal is for an operating override to increase the amount the City can collect in property taxes next…
What is a structural deficit? A structural deficit occurs when recurring expenses increase faster than recurring revenues. Although State law requires every city and town, except Boston, to prepare balanced budgets, there is no requirement that those budgets are “sustainable” or structurally balanced (i.e., where recurring revenues are equal to…
Our report on the Newton Police Department’s “Make a Senior Your Sweetheart” campaign highlighted the kindness of 11-year old Highlands resident Nate Sorrell, who runs errands for seniors and neighbors unable to do so themselves. Of course, Nate’s kindness did not escape the attention of the kindest man in Newton…
According to an email from Mayor Ruthanne Fuller, the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development has contacted Mark Development about the possible use of the former Hotel Indigo as a temporary shelter for homeless families. The hotel, part of the Riverside Development Project, had been slated for demolition, with…
You can still find statement earrings, intricately crafted necklaces and shiny rings at The Silver Woman, a jewelry shop at 49 Union Street in Newton Centre, but not for long. Ellen Gorowitz, owner of the venerable Union Street store, has decided to retire and will shutter the 20-year-old business by…
Closing her eyes, Lilou Petrucci reached into a bag, grabbed a mystery object and tried to identify it using all her senses except for sight. Smiling, the Cabot Elementary School student figured out the cube with telltale circular bumps was a large Lego. However, other items were more of a…
Ty Gupta, owner and developer of the historic Gershom Hyde House at 29 Greenwood Road has filed suit this week in Middlesex County Court against the City of Newton as well as individual City staff members, Historic Commission members, and the Mayor over their handling of the project. The developer bought…
Tamika Olszewski grew up in upstate New York, in Farmington, “the gateway to the Finger Lakes,” not far from Rochester. Like Newton, Farmington is suburban, with a sizable upper-middle-class population. In a predominantly white high school, she said that “everyone looked the same except me. I had to go to…