Property tax bill arrival reminder to Vote NO on Override

I and other Reading homeowners received in the mail a FY 2018 4th quarter property tax bill this past Saturday. This mailing serves as a timely reminder of why I - and I firmly believe a majority of Reading residents - will be voting NO on the override this Tuesday, April 3.

A few reasons I am voting NO ... the overspending on the Library project ... the debacle of the High School construction lawsuit ... the 'trust gap' in the Selectmen's Survey done in August 2017, still not filled ... no firm belief that town agencies and the schools have really trimmed all inefficiencies from their budgets ... Reading's town government should be able to manage with the 3% 'raise' it gets each year ... the 'reveal' on Facebook by at least one override supporter that if this override passes "the town should plan for overrides of smaller amounts every 4 to 8 years, and some specific Capital Expense projects."

Perhaps voters have other reasons for voting NO? I encourage everyone to share these on Facebook, Patch, by calling up a Reading friend or neighbor eligible to vote, whatever method works best for them.

I truly believe a majority of Reading voters don't want to face an almost 9% increase in their property taxes for the fiscal year beginning July 1. They also don't like that the passage of the override will add $4.15 million to our tax base that will increase our taxes in all future years to come. I sense the Reading voters who defeated the last override, almost 60/40, will come out again to prevent this one from passing.

Please vote NO on the override tomorrow, April 3. Be sure to encourage anyone you know who is a NO voter to get to the polls. The vote at the RMHS Field House will be from 7 am to 8 pm.

Can't make it to the polls on Tuesday? Absentee ballots are available at readingma.gov and at the town hall until noon today, April 2.

Brook Chipman, 21 Bond Street