The Vote Yes for Newton ballot committee filed its pre-election report with City Hall on Monday, covering the year up to February 24. Their documents (Part A, Part B) are available on the City’s campaign finance reports page. The group previously disclosed its 2022 financials on January 20. The Yes group reported raising $43,875, with…
Posts published in “Override”
I’ve had the great fortune of teaching at Newton South for 23 years. Here in Newton, educators are committed to doing best for our students. However, teaching and learning have only gotten more challenging over the years — our students today have more opportunities, and more obstacles, than ever before.…
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…
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…
I am writing to express a point of view, which may be widely held but which I have not yet seen voiced, perhaps because those who have it may feel isolated. I care about our education, teachers, schools and infrastructure. I also know that this all takes money. I have…
I’ve seen some override misinformation on social media, so I’d like to encourage everyone to learn as much as they can and fact-check so we can make the best decision for Newton on March 14. Question #1 will let us avoid drastic cuts in teaching positions in our schools, giving…
Newton Mayor Fuller says if the property tax override is not passed, then students will suffer because teaching positions will be cut. This feels a lot like extortion being used against the parents of Newton. The mayor has spent money on pet projects such as the unusable “Hello Newtonville” study…
The Special Election on the proposed override and two debt exclusions will be held on March 14, 7AM-8PM. Checking your voter status and polling location here. NOTE: Voters who usually vote at the Senior Center will vote instead at Cabot School while the Senior Center is under construction. Early voting…
The School Committee Budget Resolution supporting the proposed override and two debt exclusions passed 8-0 during the February 6 School Committee meeting. Last week, Fig City News focused on a notable abstention from the vote. However, the remaining eight members, including the Mayor, unanimously approved the Resolution drafted by Chair…
The city of Newton has been criticized for its excessive spending. A few years ago I did my own analysis to try and quantify Newton’s spending versus a reasonable baseline. The baseline I chose was the Federal Reserve Bank [FRB] yearly inflation rate. It is a good measure of the yearly increase in the…