Keep Framingham Affordable Working to Keep Your Taxes Affordable		Every tax is a pay cut. Every tax cut is a pay raise. Citizens for Limited Taxation

Panel to eye King's vision for Framingham	Thursday, December 23, 2004
Lisa Kocian 508-820-4231	Boston Globe West
Town Manager George P. King Jr. may have a wonderful vision of a fixed-up Framingham.  But it won't come cheap. King presented new details last week of his plan to spend $86 million to revamp town buildings, roads, and recreational facilities.  He estimated the proposal would cost the average homeowner an additional $153 annually in taxes for about 25 years. The reaction from the Board of Selectmen was largely positive, while representatives of other town committees who had been invited for a briefing on the plan reacted with a mix of skepticism and frustration. King is recommending that a tax increase proposal be placed on the ballot to pay for the plan.  A vote would be needed to bypass the state-mandated tax increase limit of 2.5 percent per year. After his presentation, King was accused by several officials, including Selectwoman Ginger Esty, of trying to bypass the Capital Budget Committee, which would normally review building projects.  King said that the committee was being included but that the project deserved a broader review, by a variety of town committees, because of its magnitude. Indeed, this would be one of the larger capital spending packages proposed in the area.  The costs for some school buildings have been up around $100 million, but the state reimburses about half the cost of such projects. The largest item in King's plan is a $28.5 million renovation of the Memorial Building, Framingham's town hall.  The building has seen no major renovation since it was built in 1927, he said, and it needs not only restoration but expansion and a three-level parking garage. King also recommends $24 million for pavement and road improvements, $6 million to remodel the Fuller and Stapleton schools, $4.6 million for a new McAuliffe branch library, $4.5 million to renovate the Bowditch Athletic Complex, $4.4 million to replace the 100-year-old Saxonville Fire Station, $3 million for an expansion of the Department of Public Works headquarters, $3 million to repair and expand the Walsh Athletic Complex, $2.5 million for improvements to Tercentennial Park, $2.4 million for several municipal buildings in town center, $2 million to create a townwide wireless network, and $1.5 million for improvements to Loring Arena. "I don't make these recommendations lightly," King said, but he added that it is up to residents to decide whether to spend the money. "The proposal, though ambitious, is quite achievable, " King wrote in a report released last week.  "The quality of life would be improved, and property values would be enhanced.  The question in its most basic premise is, is the value and benefits of the improvements worth the cost?" He acknowledged the ire his proposal has already inspired, specifically citing the signs that have gone up around town, beseeching residents to keep the town affordable.  King said he agrees with that sentiment but feels that the town has done much to keep housing within a reasonable price range for low- and moderate-income residents. Critics say King's estimate of a $153 increase in the average tax bill doesn't take into account the higher taxes residents will have to pay simply because their property values are rising. In response to his presentation, the assembled committees voted to form an ad hoc subcommittee, drawing from their own membership, to look more deeply into King's proposal.  The group would be made up of members of the Board of Selectmen, the Finance Committee, the standing Committee on Ways and Means, and the Capital Budget Committee. Steve Kruger, a Town Meeting member and spokesman for the Framingham Taxpayers Association, said, "I don't think we need ad hoc government."  The fact that so many boards were asked to join the discussion, he said, shows that "some people feel the Capital Budget Committee is not up to the task." The Framingham Taxpayers Association expressed caution. "To put the town manager's list into perspective, $86 million represents roughly 30 times the size of the town's current annual capital expenditure budget," said a statement issued by the association. "Consider what this implies about the potential opportunity for misspending that exists if we proceed to move forward without a process that is rigorous and thorough and which takes into consideration all of the town's capital budget requirements and their relative priorities." Four of five selectmen, the board that would have to approve placing a tax increase proposal on the ballot, voiced general support for King's efforts. Selectwoman Katie Murphy acknowledged that many elderly residents are living on fixed incomes and have a hard time with tax increases, but she added, "We're also looking at one of the most affordable communities in Metro West." Murphy singled out poor road conditions, saying they are almost at a state of emergency. "I think we owe the community a better future than that," she said.

Send comments to: hjw2001@rcn.com