Money Problems Plague Mass. Communities Amid Proposition 2 ½ Overrides Limiting Property Taxes

Massachusetts communities are seeking to fund municipal services as their wells are running dry. Debate is swirling around whether to override Prop 2 ½.

Boston 25 News reported that Easton is one of several Massachusetts towns holding a Prop 2 ½ override this spring. As with many residential communities in the state, Easton uses property taxes to fund many of its services.

Proposition 2½ caps annual property tax increases at 2.5% plus growth from new construction, a cap many communities are seeking to override. Since 1980, property tax rate hikes in Massachusetts have been limited by Prop 2 ½.

On Tuesday, April 28, Easton voters will be asked to override the cap. That override will recommend requests for $1.4 million for public safety and $700,000 for public works.

Easton Police Chief Keith Boone advocates for the override, citing the cost of emergency incidents that tax his department's financial resources. “When we're running the midnight shift with an officer short, and we have an event like that, they're on scene for multiple hours, and there's no one left to handle calls,” he said.

Across the state, more communities like Easton are being asking for overrides to prevent deep budget cuts.

For example, Boston 25 News noted that, in May, Brookline will ask voters for a record $24 million to maintain school programs and prevent firefighter layoffs.

Brookline residents like Mona Blumstein, however, fear the impacts of rising taxes on their quality of life.

“We're paying a lot in taxes now; it's gone up, 36% in the last four years or five years,” she told Boston 25 News.

In a report issued at the beginning of the year, the Massachusetts Municipal Association predicted a “perfect storm” for Bay State city and town finances.

Adam Chapdelaine, executive director for the association, said, “We have the costs of electricity, gas, and utilities, things that we can all relate to at home, rising. And then just the general cost of inflation.

“The number itself, 2 ½%, I don't believe that is any longer reflective of the realities of the cost environment,” he concluded.