Keep Framingham Affordable
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| Board wary of $90M project | Wednesday, October 6, 2004 |
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| Charlie Breitrose 508-626-4407 | Metrowest Daily News |
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FRAMINGHAM -- The School Committee warned Town Manager George King last night
that an override to pay for his $90 million capital improvement plan would
be a tough sell, but said by including some residents in the planning he
could build support.
King presented the School Committee with the plan he introduced to the Board of Selectmen two weeks ago as part of his effort to rally support. The plan includes repairs to the Memorial Building and school buildings, replacing the Saxonville library, fixing roads and sidewalks, and creating a townwide wireless computer network. The work would be paid for by issuing 20-year bonds, King said, and the debt servicing would cost an additional $4 million to $5 million. If the current plan passes, King said, the owner of the average Framingham home, worth $298,845, would pay an additional $150 in taxes annually. The town should look for outside sources of money to pay for some of the work, suggested School Committee member Laurie Jeanne Carroll. Besides the work on schools, which would cost $10 million, King said most of the work would not qualify for assistance from the state. One area where money could be available, King said, would be work on historic buildings. School Committee member Cesar Monzon said he has heard from a number of people who bristle at the idea of a $90 million override. "For a lot of people I know, the word 'override' is a dirty word," Monzon said. While he recognizes an override is not popular, King said the work could not be paid for out of the town's operational budget. He cited Framingham's sidewalks as an example. "There are many, many miles of sidewalks," King said. "With what we spend on it now, it would take over 100 years to do all of them." King proposed having all town departments submit proposals by Oct. 15 for work to be included in the override, and have the final proposal by the end of the month. Committees would review the proposal in November and December to be ready for a special Town Meeting in January. If passed, the override ballot should go to voters in April. The time line laid out by King seems rushed, said School Committee member Phil Dinsky. "I think the timetable is more aggressive than what a business could do, let alone a town," Dinsky said. Support could be built, Dinsky said, by including people outside town government in the decisions. "I think this is something we need to do as a town," Dinsky said. "You should include townspeople, not only heads of departments. Make it more inclusive and you will build support." While the town is seeking a much larger sum than recent Proposition 2 1/2 overrides, King said this proposal could be easier to sell than the 2002 override, which was used to make up a budget shortfall and save town and school programs. "The last override was hard to visualize," King said. "This one, you can see it, feel it, experience it, you'll enjoy it." |
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