And they are calling for more Taxes...

[C-pher]

And so it starts...

New Gov's Budget Chief Warns Of New Taxes
Kirwin Says State May Not Be Able To Cut Property Taxes

POSTED: 7:35 am EST December 8, 2006



BOSTON -- Gov.-elect Deval Patrick's new budget chief said Thursday that local option taxes on meals, hotels and other services should be one of the things the state considers as it seeks to create a stable long-term financial picture.

Leslie Kirwan also said she isn't sure she can find the $735 million in wasteful spending Patrick said he wanted to eliminate during this fall's gubernatorial campaign.

At the same time, the outgoing financial official for the Massachusetts Port Authority said she isn't sure the state can cut property taxes, as Patrick said he hoped to do when he said he opposed a rollback in the state income tax rate during this fall's gubernatorial campaign.

Kirwan, a former aide to Democratic Gov. Michael Dukakis and Republican Gov. William Weld, did say she will undertake a top-to-bottom review of state finances so they can plot the most financially secure course for achieving the governor's policy goals.

"I think it's a matter of how you approach them and what the ramp-up is, and I think there will be options for introducing these policies in the first budget and building on them over time," Kirwan said as she joined the governor-elect at a news conference in a downtown hotel.

Patrick himself said he wants his new Administration and Finance secretary to "lean forward" as she seeks creative solutions to state financial problems, and to improve the state's relationship with city and town governments.

"I have today directed Leslie to give me an honest account of our financial condition in state government, a clear-eyed and candid assessment of just what our resources are and where our opportunities lie, so that we can begin to sequence in how we move on some of our legislative agenda," Patrick said.

The governor-elect, whose first budget is less than a month after he takes office, repeated that his first priorities are fielding 1,000 new police officers across the state, as well as working toward universal all-day kindergarten.

At the same time, Patrick rebuffed any suggestion he selected Kirwan to dispel any notion he will be a free-spender as governor. Weld, Kirwan's most recent gubernatorial boss, fashioned himself an anti-tax governor in the example later followed by Gov. Mitt Romney and Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey.

As the Republican gubernatorial nominee, Healey charged that Patrick's spending proposals would cost $8 billion over four years.

"This notion never came from me," said the governor-elect. Patrick said he always talked about phasing in his priorities, and focusing on growing the state's economy to help support any programs he favored.

"I haven't selected Leslie Kirwan because of either her Weld bona fides or her Dukakis bona fides," Patrick said. "I selected her because of her thoughtfulness, her experience, her reasonableness, her creativity and her record of depth in dealing with financial challenges and finding creative solutions."

The appointment was widely celebrated.

"She's got a strong financial management background in the public sector, broad public policy interests and skills, experience in A&F and in the Statehouse, and a particular expertise in state-local relations," said Michael Widmer, president of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation. "She brings a strong hand to what will be a very difficult role."

Geoff Beckwith, executive director of the Massachusetts Municipal Association, said: "Clearly she will be working for Governor Patrick and the people of the commonwealth, so we will have to advocate for local government interests. But she is a listening leader, someone who has actively reached out and sought to understand what is important to cities and towns."

Kirwan, 49, is known for her reserved demeanor and appears unflappable, two traits on display during the news conference.

Asked how she hoped to manage expectations in the first Democratic administration in 16 years, she said, "Very factually." Asked whether she felt she could keep Patrick's promise to eliminate $735 million in wasteful spending, she replied, "We will approach that on a factual basis."

Later, when asked whether she could help the governor-elect keep his property-tax pledge, Kirwan replied, "I think the opportunity would be to stabilize and be predictable about the amount of local aide that can be available."

Finally, when asked about the possibility of locally approved taxes on meals, hotels and other expenses currently taxed on by the state, she replied: "I think that local option taxes should be one of the things that we consider in empowering communities to have more independence and flexibility in their own budgeting, in their own financial situation."

Kirwan will be paid $150,000, which Patrick noted is "more than me" but the same as Thomas Trimarco, the current secretary of Administration and Finance.

Kirwan said she will explore how to handle any payout for the unused sick days she has accrued at Massport, an independent state authority.

Employees currently retiring receive 100 percent of the value of any sick time they have accumulated, and 50 percent if they resign. That is more generous than regular state employees receive, although the Massport board recently voted to bring the two into alignment for sick time accumulated after Dec. 31.

Patrick criticized the policy during the campaign and again labeled it "lavish" on Thursday.

"I didn't select the policy," he said. "I selected the person."

Kirwan, who would receive between $27,000 and $54,000 under the existing policy, said she was exploring the regulations and "would follow the rules."


Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

 

[Adam_MA]

Of course the socialist is going to raise taxes...

Redistribution of wealth is one of the Liberal Democrat fundamental beliefs!

 

[Admin]

Wait he said during his campaign he was going to LOWER property taxes....... And you guys wonder why I'm leaving this place...

 

[dwarven1]

Well, it didn't take long for that miserable son of a wh*** to start breaking promises... You'd think that the lying sack would wait until he at least took office!

 

[Len-2A Training]

They played to the dumb Mass masses who are clueless, what do you expect???

MA Property Taxes are raised by the 351 local cities and towns. The State has NOTHING TO DO WITH IT! I know because I DO have a say in my Property Taxes, since I get to vote on every budget item in our Town at our Open Town Meeting and have been attending damn near every one of them in the past 32 years that I've been living here.

No Governor, Dem/Rep/Ind/Lib, has ANY SAY in Property Taxes!

 

[Twigg]

Why am I not surprised ?

 

[Bruce for NH State Rep]

Golly.

I'm shocked.

 

[dwarven1]

MA Property Taxes are raised by the 351 local cities and towns. The State has NOTHING TO DO WITH IT! I know because I DO have a say in my Property Taxes, since I get to vote on every budget item in our Town at our Open Town Meeting and have been attending damn near every one of them in the past 32 years that I've been living here.

No Governor, Dem/Rep/Ind/Lib, has ANY SAY in Property Taxes!

I know this, Len... I tried to explain it to a coworker but he was too busy sipping his Kool-Aid to believe me.

It's gonna be a loooonnnnnngggggg four years.

 

[Garys]

Here's an idea for a bumper sticker,

"Don't blame me, I voted for Kerry Healey".

Gary

 

[Dick]

No Governor, Dem/Rep/Ind/Lib, has ANY SAY in Property Taxes!

Not directly, but the assessment of charges and distribution of state funds back to the municipalities (the so-called "Cherry Sheet") obviously has an impact on the amount of taxes a municipality needs to levy to balance their budget.

 

[Patriot]

They played to the dumb Mass masses who are clueless, what do you expect???

MA Property Taxes are raised by the 351 local cities and towns. The State has NOTHING TO DO WITH IT! I know because I DO have a say in my Property Taxes, since I get to vote on every budget item in our Town at our Open Town Meeting and have been attending damn near every one of them in the past 32 years that I've been living here.

No Governor, Dem/Rep/Ind/Lib, has ANY SAY in Property Taxes!

Indirectly they will when they gut 2 1/2. And they will gut it, sooner than later.

TBP

 

[Len-2A Training]

Not directly, but the assessment of charges and distribution of state funds back to the municipalities (the so-called "Cherry Sheet") obviously has an impact on the amount of taxes a municipality needs to levy to balance their budget.

Not really and here's why . . .

Most towns/cities have projects on the back burner due to lack of funds (and no desire to push 2-1/2 overrides for them).

If major extra funds are given to cities/towns, they will most likely keep their taxes level and use that extra funding to fund these "back burner projects".

Our town needs to build a new public library (we'll probably fall under state mandated space/volumes in a few years and lose state aid if we proceed to do nothing). We also need a new police station and town hall. All necessary projects, but no money to do them. So, if big bucks shook loose from Boston, one of these would be brought forward for consideration.

The above is not mere speculation, as I've been deeply involved in town gov't here for ~30 years and have a very good inside track on what is being thought/considered/tabled and why.

I'm sure that other cities/towns are in similar positions.

I see nothing that is actually going to reduce property taxes, nothing!

 

[reinbeau]

Hook, line and sinker

 

[Dick]

I see nothing that is actually going to reduce property taxes, nothing!

Len, I don't think we disagree. I was simply responding to your statement that there's no connection between what the state does and local property taxes. There is, though I agree it's tenuous, or at least more theoretical than actual, and your points are well taken. For the record, I didn't vote for Deval Patrick, and in fact despise him and just about everything he and his party stand for. But to divorce it from the personalities for a moment, if a politician runs on a platform of shifting the tax burden from property to, say, income, and then is successful in raising the income tax so that more monies are returned to the municipalities, I would say that campaign pledge has been fulfilled. (Note that I didn't say I necessarily agree with it or believe it will happen.) If the local government then chooses not to lower taxes but instead to spend the money on new projects, that's their business - they at least were given the option.

 

[Rob Boudrie]

They played to the dumb Mass masses who are clueless, what do you expect???

MA Property Taxes are raised by the 351 local cities and towns. The State has NOTHING TO DO WITH IT! I know because I DO have a say in my Property Taxes, since I get to vote on every budget item in our Town at our Open Town Meeting and have been attending damn near every one of them in the past 32 years that I've been living here.

No Governor, Dem/Rep/Ind/Lib, has ANY SAY in Property Taxes!

You are fortunate if your town permits a direct vote and does not play games to avoid the inconvenience of a vote. In my town, we have seen school bus fees, sports fees, pay per house and per bag (yes, two part pricing garbage) - all to increase the total homeowners pay for the same services by over 10% without ever taking a proposition 2 1/2 override vote.

 

[calsdad]

You are fortunate if your town permits a direct vote and does not play games to avoid the inconvenience of a vote. In my town, we have seen school bus fees, sports fees, pay per house and per bag (yes, two part pricing garbage) - all to increase the total homeowners pay for the same services by over 10% without ever taking a proposition 2 1/2 override vote.

Yes - but at least the benefit of the "pay to play" format is that you get to somewhat decide whether or not you want to use the service. Of course if the town uses this as a get around on the prop 2 1/2 restrictions you can view it as bogus - but then again if you "hide" the cost of these "services" in the property taxes then the town always has an excuse to keep raising the taxes. Frankly I would much rather see an almost complete pay to play system and have property taxes go to only things that are bare bones essential services that you can reasonably spread out across all the citizens of a town - like plowing the roads, police, fire, and some public works. All of the school stuff, sports programs, trash pickup, senior citizen housing, and other services that you may - or may not use should be strictly pay to play. If the towns want to get involved in these they should have to play the market - and we should have competition so we can have options to get something better for our money. Right now you are being held hostage - it has to stop somewhere.

 

[Bandit]

Here's an idea for a bumper sticker,

"Don't blame me, I voted for Kerry Healey".

Gary

Gary
I think We will see someone printing those up real soon,
I will be first in line , I just hope it isn't taxed beyond My reach.
Bob

 

[Lynne]

It's gonna be a loooonnnnnngggggg four years.

I'm gonna age at least 20 years in the next four...yup, it's gonna be long.