I looked into that carefully before the override, as would any thoughtful reasonably intelligent person. I found what I was looking for, and in more ways than just the tax rate, although that went my way as well.
@ A New Hope What communities do you consider similar to Melrose?
I looked up a few homes in Stoneham & Wakefield that are bigger & better than mine and the taxes are the same pre-override or less. Then I looked up a few homes in the red line on the south shore to make a North & South of Boston mirror image and guess what? Same thing.
A hope I clung to during the override was that it wouldn't pass & the people threatening to leave because they didn't think they could possibly live in such a town if the override didn't pass would actually move on.
It was always said with such a sense of entitlement. The worst were the renters who were threatening not to buy here. They are not going to directly pay for the property tax increase but it's ok for everyone else to pay. They probably can't afford to buy, no shame in that, but they want everyone else to foot the bill.
The sense of entitlement is palpable, for sure, but for me, having lived in Melrose all my life, it's much deeper than that. To be sure, the actions of our so-called "leadership" over the past 15 years played a part, but there were other factors as well, and the override, no matter how the voting went, wasn't the deciding factor. It isn't the taxes or the tax rate either. Yes, assessed value and rate per thousand decide what you pay, and that places like Wilmington, with lower values have lower tax bills even with higher rates. Duh.
I was driving on Bellevue Ave the other day, and saw two of those stupid lime bikes in the middle of the sidewalk. The next day I happened to mention it to a city official, who for obvious reasons I will not name, and his/her comment in response was "They are turning this place into Little Cambridge.".
If I wanted to live in Cambridge, I'd move to freaking Cambridge. One thing's for sure though. I don't want to live in Melrose anymore. I've had all I can stand. I want a better quality of life for the years I have left, and I'm not going to get that here, not with all these newcomers telling me they know better than I about what I should want. F*** that.
@ A New Hope unlike your friends and neighbors, I want the lowest assessed value possible. It doesn't make me feel good that my mediocre home has a high assessed value. Until you sell, it does not matter. It's an odd snobbery that you're proud of paying more taxes on an artificially inflated home price.
Square footage & land mass matter to me. Some states do have higher property taxes but many states have lower ones. You do know the cost of living is high here, compared to most other places? Rents, homes, utilities, etc. We get raped with the water bill. The apologists can make excuses but the rates are out of whack. You know and I know that these funds supplement city hall but don't have to be accounted for as part of the regular budget.
Other regions compensate for the increased tax rates by having well developed programs for homeowners of all ages with lower incomes. Melrose doesn't have this. The current Melrose does not care about its lower income residents.
@Not Me I feel what you are saying. It's too bad that Melrose has come to this. I wonder how the parents of these transplants would feel if this were going on in their towns. The towns that the newcomers grew up in. They're here to change our city to their liking but they're trampling what we have or should I say, had here.
And there it is. I'm supposed to just sit quietly back and accept the kind of change you want, even if it isn't the kind of change I'd like to see. Not all change is positive.
You can keep your Cambridge Lime Bike bull$hit. I want no part of it.
@ Come On Man your parents may have voted for an override but I doubt their community has become the new Melrose. The override encapsulated all that is wrong with Melrose in one tax hike. The backstory of your parents override is probably very different, and the money coming into to their town might be used for its intended purpose. If the Melrose school budget this year is any example, the Melrose override will be spent in secret behind closed doors.
I don't think every transplant is evil or demonic. I do think that many of you are amazingly myopic, self centered and exceedingly selfish. I also see much 'holier than thou' hypocritical behaviour amongst you but that's your problem. I just want to be left in peace and the jamming of agendas down citizen's throat s doesn't allow that.
I have lived in Melrose all of my life, so a pretty long time, and I happen to like it, despite some of the changes, and hope I can stay. However, I do have to say that Melrose has ALWAYS 'pretended to be' the same as places they weren't, specifically Winchester and Lynnfield. I have never understood what was wrong with being like Wakefield and Stoneham, and even (shudder) Medford and Malden, because we ARE (or were).
Chelsea with Trees!!!
A ham sandwich is real, but I'm not going to vote for it for mayor. What does being "real" mean here, or have to do with anything?
the charter says "The mayor shall devote full time to the office and shall not hold any other elective public office, nor shall the mayor be engaged in any other business, occupation or profession during the period of service as mayor."
where do you read that he has to shut down a business. it says he cannot be 'engaged' in the business. that's all.
I would love to see new members of our school committee too ! Who is up for re-election.