Say No to Newton’s Structural Spending Problem

I served as the Co-Chairman of Moving Newton Forward (with Fiscal Responsibility), the Ballot Question Committee organized to OPPOSE the 2013 Newton Proposition 2½ override and debt exclusion ballot questions. I will be voting NO on all three override and debt exclusion ballot questions on March 14, 2023 in an effort to force the City of Newton to address its lack of fiscal stewardship of Newton taxpayer dollars.

Newton does not need another Proposition 2½ override. Newton passed two override tax increase packages in 2002 ($12 Million annually) and 2013 ($11.4 Million annually). Since the passage of the 2013 override package, Newton has seen its general fund revenue increase from $311.1 Million in 2013 to an estimated $480 Million in 2023 (54%) due to a 57% increase in property tax revenue from $257 Million in 2013 to an estimated $403.4 Million in 2023. This has resulted in the average Newton household seeing its annual property tax bill increase by $4,715 during that time period. Clearly, Newton is not suffering from a lack of revenue and does not need another $15 Million annual package of property tax increases on top of its existing tax levels.

The City of Newton’s budget suffers from a structural spending problem. Annual spending by Newton increased from $309.7 Million in 2013 to $480 Million in 2023, an increase of 55% during this time period. This outpaced the 27.5% increase in inflation during the same time period and directly contributed $2,743 of the $4,715 increase in average property taxes paid by Newton households.

Most of Newton’s union contracts and all of the school department union contracts expire on June 30, 2023. Instead of Newton taxpayers paying an additional $15 Million in annual property tax increases due to this override package, Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller and the Newton Schools Superintendent should be asking the unions to take 1% annual total cash pay raises in the 2023-2026 union contracts, instead of the 3.5% in average cash salary growth from 2022 to 2023. This would free up $6.8 Million annually in Fiscal Year 2024, $13.9 Million in Fiscal Year 2025 and $21.3 Million in Fiscal Year 2026, which would provide the funds necessary to underwrite the wish list projects in the override without forcing Newton taxpayers to pay higher taxes.

I encourage my fellow Newton voters to vote NO on all three override and debt exclusion property tax increase ballot questions on March 14, 2023. Newton does not need any more of your tax dollars. Newton needs to get its structural spending problem under control. I served on the board of the Newton Taxpayers Association for more than eight years and in that time, we identified over $70 Million annually in fiscal reforms that should be used to prefund pension and retiree health benefits and underwrite infrastructure improvements such as new school and municipal buildings as well as improvements to our streets and sidewalks. Please vote NO on all three tax increase ballot questions to force city government to prioritize taxpayer interests instead of dunning taxpayers for more money.