Taxpayers will have an opportunity to vote for a tax override early this summer, the majority of the Town Council decided last night.
Every seat in the Town Council chambers was filled, and about 20 more people stood at the back of the room at last night's meeting, all in favor of an override.
No one but Councilor Judith Pond Pfeffer spoke against the permanent tax hike, which would be used to prevent about 45 layoffs in schools, program cuts, and possibly boost other town departments' budgets.
School Committee Chairman Jeffrey Roy, as well as a handful of residents, including Finance Committee members, Town Council Chairman Christopher Feeley, Vice Chairwoman Deborah A. Bartlett, and members Stephen Whalen, Shannon Zollo, Joseph McGann and Thomas S. Doak all spoke in favor of putting an override question on the ballot.
Councilor Robert Vallee, who had gone on record as being opposed to an override, passed at the chance to voice his opinion last night.
Finance Committee Chairman Jim Roche, who spoke as a taxpayer and father, urged the council to let the town vote.
"This is more than just a school problem - it's a townwide problem," said Roche.
Read the full article in the Milford Daily News here.
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My first thought was to drop a dime to Susan Wornick.
I know my rights. I know the law. Clearly, the sporting goods store was no authority on clothing tax.
But after a teenaged manager took the $1 off my bill, I calmed down enough to see involving Channel 5's consumer guru wasn't the way to go.
Instead, we need to make the state tax code even more confusing.
Conventional wisdom on Beacon Hill has been to balance the budget on the backs of the monkeys on Massachusetts residents' backs.
Got a vice? We'll tax it. Then we'll tax it some more. And when that isn't enough, we'll just push Lottery tickets a little harder.
Look, we don't want you to gamble if you're an addict. No, seriously. See, we put all sorts of disclaimers on Keno broadcasts and around convenience stores that sell scratch tickets. Here's the number for Gamblers Anonymous. Call if you think you have a problem. Just wait until after you buy another Megabucks ticket before you call, OK?
Casinos may be off the table for the moment, at least casinos of the state-run variety, but an extra tax on smokers is all but a done deal.
Dirty, rotten smokers. Make them pay for miscalculations in what it takes to run a state.
There was some talk about upping taxes on wine, but so far that hasn't gotten much traction. It'll likely be revisited when the number of people who buy cigarettes in Massachusetts dwindles to financially unacceptable levels.
Meanwhile, there's a sensible solution no one's talking about.
Read the remainder of the article to see the sensible solution in the Milford Daily News
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