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| Town's fix-it list total: $90m Town manager's plan gets guarded response | Thursday, September 30, 2004 |
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| Lisa Kocian 508-820-4231 | Metrowest Daily News |
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FRAMINGHAM: A proposed $90 million in renovations and improvements,
largely to Framingham schools, roads, and municipal buildings, could mean
a major makeover for the town. Some say it could also mean a
financial hardship for residents.
Town Manager George P. King Jr. told selectmen last week there is that much necessary work that won't fit within the regular annual capital budget. He asked for -- and won -- selectmen's endorsement of the general idea, promising more details to come. King's tentative plan is to hash everything out in the next few months, present a request to Town Meeting in January, and ask voters for the money on the ballot in April. "It's just part of my job -- I'm supposed to have a vision for what the town needs," King said in a phone interview this week. "Our infrastructure is in tough shape." Voters have a direct say in whether to spend the money, because it would mean local taxes would have to be raised above the amount allowed annually under state law. The proposal, which tentatively earmarks funding for the renovation of the Memorial Building, reconstruction of residential sidewalks and roadways, and multiple school projects, immediately faced criticism. Jeanne Bullock, chairwoman of the town's Capital Budget Committee, accused King of trying to skirt the town's regular budget process by leaving her group out of the discussion. "This is ridiculous. We're supposed to be working together," Bullock said in an interview, noting that this is the first time the town manager has proposed such a large-scale capital plan without talking to the capital committee. Bullock said she's opposed to the proposal, because it's too much to do all at once. "We have a lot of seniors on fixed incomes," she said. "You keep upping the taxes on people's houses, and you're going to force these people to sell their homes. People with kids are going to buy them, and the school population is going to get bigger, and we're going to be in a mess." Ginger Esty, the only member of the Board of Selectmen to vote against endorsing King's proposal, agreed with Bullock, saying it circumvents the usual planning process. The other four selectmen lined up behind King. Christopher Ross, chairman of the Board of Selectmen, said he and his colleagues were seeing the plan for the first time, just as Bullock was. "I think she [Bullock] was jumping the gun a little bit," he said. "The fact that the Capital Budget Committee hasn't been involved in this process to this point is not unusual." Selectmen voted last week only to endorse the general concept. The details could change dramatically before voters have a say. King said this week that his proposed project list -- which also includes townwide wireless Internet access, replacement of the Saxonville Fire Station and the Saxonville branch library, and renovation of Bowditch Field -- was only meant to be tentative. The items included and their costs are subject to change, he said. The cost to the average taxpayer would be about $150 annually for each of the 20 years of the proposed loan, he said, adding that it includes the types of projects from which everyone can benefit and that can boost property values. King said all committees that want to be involved, including Bullock's, will be. A meeting of committees is tentatively scheduled for Dec. 9, by which time, King said, he will have worked out more specifics. "I think it's exciting," he said. "From the average Joe, I've gotten some good feedback." King said the town typically spends $2 million to $3 million annually on capital projects. Framingham taxpayers are also shouldering 10 percent of a $55 million high school renovation project, projected to cost an additional $5 million. The town's last Proposition 2 override came in 2002, a $7.2 million permanent tax increase. Steve Kruger, a spokesman for the Framingham Taxpayers Association, said it's too early to comment on King's proposal, because he doesn't have enough information, but he promised his group would review it carefully. He said the initial response from residents he's talked to has been negative, but he cautioned that much more research is necessary. "The almost reflex reaction that people have had is dismay," Kruger said, "but that's just people reacting to the number." Bill Haberman, chairman of Town Meeting's Standing Committee on Ways and Means, also said it's too early to know whether King's proposal is viable. But he said that it would take a serious education effort to win voter approval. "It would certainly have to be a very major selling job on the part of the administration, even if it went through Town Meeting and all the other wickets it has to go through," he said. |
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