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Overcrowding
ordinances before
council next week...
CONTINUED FROM PAGE A:1
incorrectly reported asbeing
part of this week's meeting
in the April 28 Patriot.
"What we have now is a
work product that we 're
prepared to bring to the
council ," assistant town
manager Paul Niedzwiecki
said at this week's council
agenda meeting.
The council understands
that there is work to be
done on the proposal , and
although the item could be
acted upon, there isno inten-
tion to do so next week.
The plan is to open the
public hearing, immediately
move into an informal work-
shop to discuss elements and
challenges of the plan, and
then provide an opportunity
for public comment.
Once that's completed ,
council officers discussed
continuing the hearing to a
date in June although none
was selected.
Council Vice-President
Janet Joakim of Centerville,
who chaired a council sub-
committee to look into prob-
lems and solutions related
to overcrowded homes, said
that the difficulty in devel-
oping a plan was that every-
thing had its drawbacks.
For example, Town Coun-
cil President Hank Farn-
ham said that he would be
affected by the language
in the vehicle-restriction
proposal. With six vehicles
and only three bedrooms , he
would exceed the maximum
upon passage. As there isno
provision for variances or
grandfathering of existing
conditions , that presents a
problem.
There are also no provi-
sions within the proposal for
temporary situations , such
as for summertime visitors
or even holiday travelers.
According to Joakim, the
proposal s are rich with such
problems. Still, she under-
stands that there is a de-
mand in the community to
do something. Along with
the challenge to find effec-
tive and appropriate mea-
sures is the understanding
that many residents are
looking for some relief.
Hyannis Councilor Harold
Tobey, who 's been receiving
requests to do something on
this issue, agreed , but also
wants a good proposal .
"I'm getting beat up by
my constituents on this ...
but also I'm cognizant that
we have to do this right ,"
Tobey said.
The fulltext of the propos-
als can be found on the town
Web site, town.barnstable.
ma.us, as contained in the
town council agenda.
Boosting income tax 1 percent...
CONTINUED FROM PAGE A:1
of Osterville and Cotuit in
Barnstable , said he intends
to file a constitutional amend-
ment in the fallto increase the
state income tax by 1percent ,
dedicated entirely to pub-
lic education , including the
state 's university system.
That would provide more
than $2 billion in dedicat-
ed revenues. The benefi t
to taxpayers , Patrick said,
would come in a "concurrent
decrease " in local property
taxes, the primary source in
many communities, for public
schools.
"That's where it hurt s to tax
people ,"Patrick said of prop-
erty taxes. "I'd like to shift the
burden from the towns to the
income tax."
It is the potential to re-
duce property tax burdens
that has Barbara Anderson ,
executive direct of Citizens
for Limited Taxation , calling-
Patrick's idea "an interesting
concept. "
Citizens for Limited Taxation
is responsible for the passage
of Proposition 2 1/2 in 1980.
The voter-approved legislation
holds increases to local prop-
erty tax levies to 2.5 percent of
the prior year. Anderson and
CLT have stood as the tax-
limiting law's champion and
protector ever since.
"That would be an exciting
proposal in another state ,"
Anderson said in a phone
interview Wednesday. "While
the concept works if your tax
burden is low, I don't see how
our state can handle that. "
Anderson said that Massa-
chusetts already has one of the
highest income tax burdens
in the nation. On Tuesday
of this week , CLT said Mas-
sachusetts celebrated "Tax
Freedom Day,"defined as "the
first day of the year when ev-
ery cent you make doesn't go
entirely to government. "
In particular, Anderson has
concerns about the ability of
small business to absorb that
kind of increase.
"It would make a horren-
dous hit on the only growth
sector in our economy," she
said.
That said, the ability to lift
education off the property tax
is attractive.
"It would be nice for us who
don't like property taxes, but
it would be very, very hard to
sell tojob creators ,"Anderson
said.
CLT has been looking for
ways to provide additional
property tax relief , so Ander-
son said shifting education
to some other means of fund-
ing might be worth talking
about.
"We would love to see edu-
cation off the property tax
altogether," she said.
Anderson said that she'd be
more interested in a constitu-
tional amendment forbidding
property taxes to be used to
fund education , which then
places the entire burden to
pay for the commonwealth' s
public schools on the state.
The question would then be-
come where the funding would
come from. From Anderson 's
point of view, "It would have
to come from existing state
taxes."
Anderson has advocated
and voters support a rollback
of the income tax to 5percent.
That has not happened , and
remains a rally cry in election
years.
"If [Patrick] would consider
going back to 5 percent as
voters have told him to do,
he might be worth talking to
about it," Anderson said.
For his part , Patrick said
that a rollback could provide
a good starting point for a
compromise..
Making the Connection
"The proposal raises an im-
portant point ," said Michael
Widmer, president of the Mas-
sachusetts Taxpayers Foun-
dation (MTF), "that there 's
a direct connection between
the income tax and the level
of the local property tax."
Founded in 1932. the MTF
describes itself as an "inde-
pendent , non-partisan orga-
nization focusing on state
spending and tax policies."
Regarding the suggestion
that education funding be
shifted to the income tax.Wid-
mer said, "It'sa fairer tax than
property taxes, so the idea of
using the income tax in order
to provide some property tax
relief is reasonable. "
In the end , Widmer said ,
there are only three kinds of
taxes - income , property and
sales - and those looking for
relief from one will necessar-
ily find themselves affecting
the others.
"One concern is whether
we should be raising the in-
come tax at all at this time,"
Widmer said. Another is "how
it would work to ensure the
monies would have property
tax relief."
Geoff Beckwith , executive
director of the Massachusetts
Municipal Association , said
his organization would be
interested in taking a look at
such a proposal , but would
need details before comment-
ing. Beckwith said that the
notion of amending the state
Constitution to make sure
funds would go where they
were intended is an accurate
assessment.
Patrick said that he would
intend to maintainthe present
state spending on education ,
for which $3.7 billion is al-
located within the 2007 state
budget proposal.
Such an approach isno quick
fix, requiring a minimum of
three years from introduction ,
through two state constitu-
tional conventions and eventu-
ally to the voters for ratifica-
tion, but Patrick believes it's
time to start something.
For Patrick , the advantage
to a Constitutional amend-
ment is that the funds cannot
be touched. For Widmer, that
is reason for caution.
"It requires that the wis-
dom of the proposal and the
sustainability of the proposal
be ironclad , and very carefully
thought through , " Widmer
said, warning of the law of
unintended consequences.
Anderson said she also rec-
ognizes that as an amendment
to the state Constitution, such
a proposal would go through a
full, open and lengthy public
debate , and eventually be
decided by voters.
"I don't tend to get upset
about anything that has to go
before our voters ," Anderson
said. "It isn't as threatening
as him filing a statute.
Patrick said that the pro-
posal will need to be com-
pleted by late fall , but as
an unopposed candidate for
the fall election , he intends
to spend time this summer
drafting language and build-
ing support .
He has discussed the idea
with his colleagues on Bea-
con Hills and admits "most
of them roll their eyes," but
he has a couple of legislators
willing to co-sponsor such an
amendment.
Know the Market. Know the Town.
Only in _fy JBarntftable patriot
396 Main St . Suite 15, Hyannis, MA 0260 1 • 508/771-1427 • Fax 508/790-3997
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