The Yarmouth Taxpayer

Yarmouth must have a voting member on Airport Commission

Yarmouth Needs A Voting Member on Airport Commission.
The recent editorial by the Cape Cod Times published Saturday, August 12, 2006  just about says it all. The time has come to place a voting member on the Airport Commission. This writer, being a former Representative for the Town of Yarmouth, along with Mr. Bo Lawrence another former Representative for the Town to the Airport Commission can testify first hand the need to have a voting member.

Airport Commission
The Airport Commission needs to open it’s meetings more and have frank discussions on issues at the airport. These discussions also need to allow more public input and interaction at the meetings. Presently the public is allowed to speak, for 3 minutes.  Then the commission will respond after the public speaks and no interaction is allowed. The Town of Yarmouth has a lot of issues with regards to the Airport.

Some of the Issues
Here are three issues that have a direct effect or could possibly effect the Town of Yarmouth:

1. Ground Water Pollution and Water Quality.
   Presently there is a plume on the Airport that the airport is trying to clean up. There is also new information that there is two water wells, six in total in the town, on the Airport that have elevated levels of manganese. A report was completed for the Town of Barnstable by SCA Associates. The consultant is recommending a 5 million dollar plant be built to extract the elevated levels out of the water. The big question is, where is the elevated levels of manganese coming from? What is the source?  The CCC sub committee is reopening this issue at the Aug 24th meeting . This has never been discussed openly at any Airport Commission meetings.
2. Storm Water Runoff System and the Ponds.
   The Storm Water Runoff System is over 60 years old. The system has water infiltration, as was recently discussed at the Cape Cod Commission sub committee meeting on the Airport DRI. This clearly shows that the piping within the system is cracked and pollutants are leaching into the ground unabated. The Storm Water Runoff System runs into two ponds at the Airport, Lewis and Upper Gates Ponds that are contaminated. The Airport wants these contaminates left in place instead of being cleaned up. The Town of Yarmouth is on record that this is unacceptable and the Ponds have to be cleaned up. There was a formal letter sent to the CCC on July 26, 2006 in regards to this matter. The Airport is a Zone II contribution area to the Town of Yarmouth water wells on Higgins-Crowell Road. The Town also has a Water Protection Over-lay District that extends into the Airport just north of the ponds.
3. Noise Abatement and Aviation Easements.
   In August 1999 the Chairman of the Barnstable Airport Commission told the Airport Consultant to tell the FAA to go ahead and make changes to the approaches to the airport. A sub-committee had only recommended a temporary change be made to study the effects of noise in Yarmouth and Barnstable. The noise study was never completed. The full Airport Commission never voted on this. Why? Recently the Town of Yarmouth was denied to place a Wind Turbine behind the Mattacheese Middle School. The FAA is enforcing the airspace over this area and most of the Town. This is an Aviation Easement, a land taking on Public and private property. This also has never been discussed at any of the Airport Commission meetings.

Barnstable Town Council.
The present proposal by  Barnstable Town Councilor James Munafo Jr to have the present Representative for the Town of Yarmouth to be removed as a member of the Airport Commission and just be considered a liaison with no voting privileges is a major step backwards. The line of communications will suffer severely, what little there is. What recourse will the Town of Yarmouth take if the lines of communication are removed?  Litigation?  This will be costly to the taxpayers of both towns. The first hearing on this step backwards will be heard on this coming Thursday August 17th.at the Barnstable Town Hall. I urge the Taxpayers from both towns to attend this meeting and speak out against this proposed move by Mr. Munafo. The Town of Yarmouth needs a Voting Member to the Airport Commission. 

 Next Subject. The Special Town Meeting on Sept 13th and the Prop 2 1/2 Override.

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Yarmouth-- A Call for Tax Relief

The Yarmouth Voters have spoken about raising their real estate taxes with the defeat of the Prop 2 ½ override. The measure lost by 260 votes, a small margin. Only 21 percent of the towns registered voters voted, but the message is the same. No more permanent tax increases.

Real-Estate Tax Exemption.

Under   MASSACHUSETTS Law Chapter 59 a municipality can grant a resident tax exemption of a dollar amount that cannot exceed 20 percent of the average assessed value of all residential class properties. The exemption reduces, by the adopted percentage, the taxable valuation of each residential parcel that is a taxpayer’s principal residence. Granting the exemption raises the residential tax rate and shifts the residential tax burden from moderately valued homes to apartments, summer homes and higher valued homes. A residential exemption is one way resort areas (e.g., Cape Cod and the Berkshires) can provide some tax relief for permanent residents.

Qualifications.

To qualify for a Residential Tax Exemption on his or her domicile under Ch. 59 §5 or §5C, an individual must, among other things have been an owner of that domicile on the qualification date for the fiscal year to which the tax relates. For exemptions under Section 5, the qualification date is July first of that year. For exemptions under Section 5C, that date is the
preceding January first

Who has a Residential Tax Exemption?

Now could be the time for the Town of Yarmouth Board of Selectmen to consider lowering the tax burden on the permanent residents who live here. Presently there are 13 Cities and Towns who have adopted some form of Residential Tax Exemption for permanent residents. Nantucket, West Tinsbury, Boston, and Cambridge just to name a few. Recently the Town of Barnstable adopted the Split Tax.

Repeal Present Law.

The present law on summer homes where the furnishings are tax should be repealed and replaced with the Real Estate Tax Exemption.

Percentage.
The Town can adopt the amount it wants to exempt: 10 % or the maximum of 20%. There would have to be public hearings on this issue and it would have to be voted on at Town meeting.

Town User Fees.

The Town of Yarmouth Board of Selectmen, over the past year, has been raising the user fees on just about everything. This has to come to an end. The Taxpayers in Yarmouth are a having tough time paying for taxes and raising the user fees is just adding to the burden. The Town needs to adopt the policy of doing more with less. Delegation of authority is one way to do this. Accountability is another.

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Yarmouth Override- Yes or No.

This coming Tuesday, May 2, 2006 the Voters will vote on the Override.

The Ballot Questions.

Question #1.
Shall the Town of Yarmouth be allowed to assess an additional $819,166 in real estate and personal property taxes for the purposes  of adding additional staff, certain expenses and increasing capital expenditures for the Fiscal Year beginning July 1, 2006?

CS-1 Library Wages $36,969

 CS-3 Natural Resources Wages $40,331

 CS-7 Senior Services Wages $15,666

 CS-15 Info Technology Wages $62,071

PW-6 Engineering Expense $12,500

G-26 Capital Budget $200,000

 PS-1 Police Wages $368,629

Route 28 Improvements, implementation, tourism promotion $ 83,000

TOTAL - $819,166

Tax Implication.
Approval of Ballot Question #1 would increase property taxes of approximately 2.2% or an estimated 13 cents on the FY2006 tax rate

Question #2.
Shall the Town of Yarmouth be allowed to exempt from the provisions of Proposition 2 ½ so-called the amounts required to pay for the bonds to be issued in order to finance the design, engineering, architectural fees, construction, and equipping of a new Fire Station #3 facility in the Town?

Tax Implication.
Approval of Ballot Question #2 will increase taxes created by this debt exclusion is equal to the amount of the annual borrowing costs for this Fire Station. The annual borrowing cost is estimated at $466,000 for the first year of a 15-year bond at 5%. This would result in an estimated tax increase of 1.2% or an estimated 7 cents on the FY2006 tax rate.

Question #3.
Shall the Town of Yarmouth be allowed to exempt from the provisions of Proposition 2 ½ so-called the amounts required to pay for the bonds to be issued by the Dennis-Yarmouth Regional School District for the replacement of generators at the Mattacheese Middle and M.E. Small Elementary Schools, the reconstruction of the concrete landing and stairs at the M.E. Small Elementary School, and the removal of asbestos at the L.C. MacArthur Elementary School?

Tax Implication.
The annual borrowing cost for these projects is estimated at $54,017 for the first year of a 15-year bond at 5%. This would result in an estimated tax increase of 0.1% or an estimated 1-cent

Town Meeting Vote.
The voters at Town Meeting approved the new town budget for fiscal year 07. The 2.11 increase will raise the tax rate from $5.93 to $6.20

Question Raised.
In article #1 the Yarmouth Police Department wants to add 5 full time offers, three officers within the department will be promoted to Sergeant. The reasoning on this is it will add additional patrol coverage within the town. The Police Department recently had a
Management and Staff study with a grant from Barnstable County. This study was not fully completed before Town Meeting for reasons be on the control of the Yarmouth Police Department. The executive summary of the report calls for hiring a total of 7 new hires, 5 police officers ,which is in the override. One new detective and one dispatcher, which is not in the override. The question being raised here is why did the Board of Selectmen put this request on the Town Meeting Warrant, if the report was not completed? The Voters/Taxpayers should have the full report, with the  explanation and justification for adding new police officers. This report would then give a complete picture for this request so the Voters/Taxpayers could decide on how they would vote, either for or against this ballot question.

The Bottom Line.

The bottom line is if all the articles are passed the tax rate will rise to $6.41 per thousand dollars of assessed property value. The Voters/Taxpayers will have their say on May 2nd to either raise their taxes or not to raise their taxes.  The Yarmouth Voters/Taxpayers need to get out and vote, this is what Democracy is all about.

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Yarmouth Town Meeting- Another Poor Turnout.

This year’s turnout at Town Meeting was disappointing at best.  There were many Articles  that had a direct effect on the pocket book. Why the low turnout? Here are a few possibilities.

No public Input?

The Yarmouth Board of Selectmen held a series of meetings on the Town Meeting Warrant. These meetings discussed why the different  town departments need extra personnel or funding. Yet there was no input from the public.  The meetings were conducted in what is called a Workshop Meeting.

Workshop Meetings.

When the Yarmouth Board of Selectmen conducts Workshop Meetings it raises the question, is the meeting  really a Public Meeting? During one of the meetings pertaining to two petition articles Selectmen Jim Saben raised the question of having public input from citizens attending the meeting.  Chairman of the Board Jerry Sullivan spoke up saying the meeting was to hear from the sponsors of the articles and the public can ask questions at Town Meeting. Mr. Sullivan’s actions denied the public to ask questions at the Selectmen’s Meeting. Why? Doesn’t the Public have a right to ask questions on the Town Meeting Articles before Town Meeting? Doesn’t the public have a right to ask questions on any other matter of subject that is held in a Workshop Meeting?

Town Meeting Warrant.

The Town Meeting Warrant was vague on a lot of the Articles at best. Example. The Override listed wages but it did not mention the hiring of extra personnel. When the Article was introduced it was then explained to those attending. Why not spell it out in the Warrant.  When the general government article came up there was this long list of funds being transferred. This probably was the most confusing article on the whole warrant. Why does the Town or the Board of Selectmen wait to the last minute to do this?

Why The Voter Apathy?

What causes the voters in the Town of Yarmouth not to attend Town Meeting?  There are 17,000 plus voters registered here.  Could it be the voter does not know enough about what the Articles are really about? Could holding Town Meeting on a weeknight be the cause? There are many working families with school age children here is Yarmouth. Would it be better to hold Town Meeting on a Weekend? Would it be better to hold Town Meeting in May? Many registered voters go to Florida for the winter and do not return until the middle or the end of April.   Town Meeting is what Democracy is all about and it shameful that voters do not attend.

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Restricted Airspace Over Yarmouth !

Recently the FAA denied the Town of Yarmouth to place a Wind Turbine behind the middle School, see previous article. 

The Reason.
The main reason behind the decision is because of an Air Space Restriction over the Town of Yarmouth and it extends well into Barnstable. The FAA is enforcing this air space restriction.   Click image on right to enlarge (PDF) Zoom in on the PDF to see details. 

The Year 1957.
In 1957 the Town of Barnstable came to Yarmouth asking for a joint by-law under the Airports Approach Regulations, an Air Easement to comply with Massachusetts Law.

The new by–law pertains to height of trees and buildings. The by-law was voted on and accepted at Town Meeting. This by-law is still in effect today.

The Year 1962.
In the year 1962 the US Supreme Court ruled that an Air Easement is a land taking (Griggs v. Allegheny County, 369 U.S. 84 (1962) thus making the Air Easement from the Town of Barnstable and their Airport a land taking on private and public properties in Yarmouth and Barnstable.

Massachusetts Law/ US Constitution.
Under Massachusetts’s law the residents have to be notified of the easement and this easement has to be placed in the Registry of Deeds. This also would apply to public lands own by the Town of Yarmouth. To this day the Massachusetts Law has not been complied with. The United States Constitution clearly states, “nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation. Why then hasn’t property owners been compensated for this land taking by Barnstable.

By-Law Repeal.
The Yarmouth By-Law, Chapter 58: Airport Approach must be repealed because it is out dated and is not being complied with under Federal and State laws. The towns Board of Selectmen acting as the representatives of the citizens of the Town of Yarmouth needs to take action on the repeal of Town of Yarmouth By-Law Chapter 58, Airport Approach, for next years Town Meeting where the citizens can debate and  vote on it’s repeal , or ask the Town of Barnstable  for just compensation in their land taking on private and public lands.

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Is There Trouble in Copland- Taxpayers are asking Questions?

This past Thursday in the weekly newspaper, The Register,  there was a letter to the Editor titled, OK Mr. O’Keefe, We Give Up!  

The letter was written by The Yarmouth Police Officers Association, which is comprised of members of Local 422 of the International Brotherhood of Police Officers.  In looking to an incident that happened in Chatham in March 2005 this Blog received the following letter. The letter we received is published and is unedited.

The Letter:
In a recent letter to the editor in the Register the Yarmouth Police Association lambasted District Attorney O’Keefe for reasons that can only be explained as selfish. Striking O’Keefe for his “personal flaws. Or his lack of social skills” is cover for the true issue behind the attack. O’Keefe has criticized the Yarmouth-Barnstable SRT team for going to other communities and providing police services at the expense of Yarmouth and Barnstable taxpayers. In a recent article in the Cape Cod Times regarding a 5-hour stand off that involved the apparent suicide of Jeffery Gibbs, in Chatham. O’Keefe is quoted as saying “ I was most concerned about the manner in which the so called SRT team was used that day”. O’Keefe said his main problem was the deployment of regional tactical officers in a town where they weren’t sworn officers. Since Chatham and the SRT team had not worked together, chain of command issues resulted, O’Keefe said.  It raised the questions of who was really in charge, you must always make sure that the left hand knows what the right hand is doing, said O’Keefe. A private investigator, Peter S. Robbins of Centerville based International Investigative Resources is investigating the possibility that the apparent suicide was caught on tape by a security camera kept
in the home, the tape is missing.

So why would the Yarmouth Police Association attack O’Keefe because of his statements on the above SRT call out?  The answer is simple, money! The SRT team from Yarmouth-Barnstable is called out on average 5 times per month. The team has approximately 26 officers, some of which are on overtime, some already working their shift. Either way, every time the team is called out it creates overtime, whether it’s for the officer responding on his day off or to back fill for an officer leaving his patrol to respond to a situation somewhere on the Cape. Consider that the Chatham call out cost the taxpayers of Yarmouth and Barnstable $6,000 and then multiply that by 5 callouts per month and the costs jump to $360,000 in added expense to the Taxpayers of Yarmouth and Barnstable and a windfall of overtime for the officers involved.

Do we really need a joint SRT team?  Do we need to pay our officers extra to travel to other communities to provide police services? The answer is yes and no, if Yarmouth and Barnstable want to work together so that they can serve warrants and deal with issues within their own two communities, fine, because the service is reciprocal. However, what benefit does the taxpayers in Yarmouth, for instance, gain from sending their men to Chatham, Nantucket or Wellfleet? Absolutely zero, what happens if an officer gets hurt in Chatham, is Chatham going to pay the workman’s compensation claim? Is Chatham going to pay to fill the manpower lost as a result of the injury, no!  To address the issue further is the fact that the State Police already offer these services at no additional cost to the taxpayers of any town, they assume all liability and have a solid chain of command structure. The Chiefs would argue that the State Police take too long to respond, but to my knowledge neither Yarmouth nor Barnstable has asked for the State Police Swat team to respond to any incident in many years. Since it took the Yarmouth and Barnstable SRT team 45 minutes to respond to Chatham, how much longer would it have taken the State Police to respond, only to later find out they were not needed at all? We are wasting money with these SRT teams and that is the dirty little secret the Yarmouth Police Association doesn’t want you to know, so they attack an excellent District Attorney for “personal flaws.or his lack of social skills”, as if we all don’t know of a few police officers lacking the same attributes.
 
Wade Stevens, Cummaquid, MA

The Yarmouth Taxpayer:
The above letter does raise quite a few questions. Is the Town of Yarmouth (Taxpayers) reimbursed for the overtime costs when they are used in other Towns? Does the Town need to hire 5 new Officers, as requested in the Towns Override? Why wasn’t the State Police Called? How much does it cost the Taxpayers in Yarmouth to cover the SRT Team in insurance? These are just a few questions, and add them on to what Mr. O’Keefe has already raised. The Taxpayers have a right to have answers. They’re paying for it. The young Men and Woman in the Yarmouth Police Department are Professional to the core. They have chosen a dangerous career, and have the full support of this blogger and the hard working taxpayers in the Town of Yarmouth. The public letter in the newspaper by the Police Association, about the Barnstable District Attorney Mr. Micheal O’ Keefe, has opened the door for the Taxpayers to now start asking questions, about how their tax money is being used.

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Yarmouth Estimated Tax Rate Hike- Part III

"We don't have deficits because people are taxed too little. We have deficits because big government spends too much." —Ronald Reagan

The Town Of Yarmouth Warrant has been published with the recommendations of the Finance Committee for the Annual Town Meeting to be held at the Mattacheese Middle School in West Yarmouth starting on April 11, 2006 at 7 pm. The General Election will on May 2, 2006

lor="#cc0000">Average Tax Bill:

The average tax bill in Yarmouth for a single Family tax bill is $2,254 dollars. This places Yarmouth 281st out of 306 cities and towns in Massachusetts. This means that 280 cities and towns have a higher average tax bill than Yarmouth and 25 have a lower average tax bill. The Town of Dennis is ranked 298th.  Note: Ma Division of local services in this comparison excludes Condo’s

The Question?:

Will Yarmouth be able to keep its low tax rate?

Present Tax Rate vs. New Estimated Tax Rate:

The present tax rate in Yarmouth is $5.93 per thousand dollars of assessed value. 
The new estimated Tax increase within the limits of Prop 2 ½ of $.28 will raise the tax rate to $6.21 .  An increase of 2.1% over last year. To add the CPA taxes of 3 % add $.19 to calculate individual share. This does not include any increase from the override.

 The Town Override $ 819,000:

Now if the Town Taxpayers/ Voters pass the Town Override ,Article #13 on the Town Warrant, http://www.yarmouth.ma.us/    and is approved on the Ballot in May the following estimated tax of $.13 will be added to the $6.21.The new Tax estimate would be $6.34.

 The DY School Override $1,026,527:

There will be a second override this year. This will also have to be approved at Town Meeting and at the General Election in May. The impact of the DY School override will add another $.16. Total estimated Tax Rate will be $6.50 per thousand dollars of assessed value.

The New Fire Station:

The new proposed Fire Station to be built in West Yarmouth could add another $.07( Estimated) to the $6.50 estimated tax rate if the bids come in for Town Meeting.  The result would be  a new estimated tax rate of $6.57.Now, if the Fire Station bids are not ready the town is looking at a Special Town Meeting later this Year.

   Re Appraisal - Town Property:   

 In Article 6 the Town will be asking for 89,000 to do a full appraisal of all the properties within the Town. The figures for 2005 from Barnstable County show that the values of homes on Cape Cod increased 5.9 percent although the volume of sales are down. The new property appraisal could have an effect on individual property owners. The result could be an increase in taxes based on the new property values when the appraisal is completed for next year.

Bottom Line- The Taxpayers:

The Taxpayers/Voters will have the finial word if they want to increase their property tax base. They will have a say at Town Meeting first. Now if the Voters at Town Meeting don’t approve the overrides the overrides will not be on the ballot in the May Election. If the overrides are passed then the Voters will have a second vote at the General Election It is important that the all Taxpayers/Voters attend Town Meeting to speak on these important issues we face on the Town Budget or the overrides. The money to be approved or disapproved is Your Tax Dollars, so I urge all to attend Town Meeting and get involved.

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Raising Taxes- A Double Standard ?

Over the past few weeks this blogger has been informing the Taxpayers in Yarmouth of an impending tax increase.

We face an increase in taxes on the Regular Town Budget, within prop 2 1/2 ,  about 28 cents. The Board of Selectmen has voted to put on the Annual Warrant at next months Town Meeting, to be held on April 11th, an override which will add another 13 cents. To complicate matters the new Fire Station could add another 6 cents, if the bids come in at 4 million. The big word is if, for example, The Golf request for a new irrigation system at Bayberry Hills Golf Course will cost $2 million, according to recent estimates, they were looking at 1.3 million. The total increase of 47 cents is of course without the DY Regional School District. How much will be added to the 47 cents? Who knows?

Double Standard?
This past week the Yarmouth Board of Selectmen met in a joint meeting with the DY Regional School Committee and Town Officials from Dennis. The Yarmouth’s  Board  of Selectmen,  Chairman Jerry Sullivan, told the DY School committee, “I’m really afraid (a Proposition 2 ½) override vote in either town would fail at the polls, “I cannot in good conscience agree to an increase of this size.” Now, when Yarmouth School Committee member Nancy Anastasia asked if the towns could increase revenue by imposing new taxes? Mr. Sullivan’s response was and I quote as reported in a local weekly. “We cannot impose any new taxes,”
Do we see a double standard here? Is it all right to vote for an override and raising taxes when it comes to the Town’s operating budget? Is it all right to apply a different standard when it comes to the DY Regional School District when it comes to raising taxes?  Why would one think the taxpayers would reject an override on the schools and then accept the override for the Town?

Bottom Line.
The Yarmouth Board of Selectmen does an excellent job in listening to the taxpayers and their concerns.  Why then, does the board propose an override when they believe an override will not pass for the Schools? The DY Regional School Committee will have to make cuts.  To quote Mr. Phil Morris of DY School Committee, “You get what you pay for. If you make enough cuts, the kids will be hurt.” Why should the kids get hurt when more that half the school budget is for personnel? Aka, School Teachers and their benefits. The bottom line should be the School Committee has to go back to the bargaining table with the teachers. The five Unions in the Town have made concessions over the years, why not the teachers?

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Barnstable County Government - A New Tax?

In case you haven’t heard, a resolution is being put on Town Meeting Warrants under the disguise of Universal Health Care on Cape Cod. The Resolution will be on the Town Warrants for Bourne, Chatham, Dennis, Eastham, Harwich, Yarmouth and Provincetown.

The resolution is pressing for Universal Health Care on Cape Cod and its purpose is to provide health care coverage for all residents of Cape Cod. Control health care cost by reducing excessive administrative expenses. Shape health care delivery through a representative policy-making board. Strengthen the ability of the existing health care network to provide high-quality care by assuring adequate funding for services.

Who will run the Cape Cod Universal Health Care Program?
Barnstable County will be in charge if this non-binding resolution is passed. I ask the question, do we need more government run programs?

A fee on all residents base on income? The word is not a fee, it’s a TAX. A duplicate tax. We are already paying for Medicare and Medicaid with our taxes, so why do we need a duplicate tax program. Another question, what procedures would be used to be qualified as a resident? Would it require a US citizenship? 

More Government or Less Government.
The taxpayers on Cape Cod  are facing an ever-increasing strain on paying their taxes. More towns are having overrides just to run the town governments. The County is looking at a wastewater program that could raise money by taxing the homeowners. Home values are increasing and homeowners are struggling  to pay the taxes. A government run program is not what we need here on Cape Cod. The Federal Government looked at a Universal Health Care Program and it was rejected. The results should be the same for this resolution. What we do need is less government, not more.

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Proposed Yarmouth Tax Rate Hike- Part II

Prop 2 1/2 Override.

On the Selectmen’s agenda for tonight’s meeting is the Prop 2 1/2  Override. The 1.3 million dollar override will be discussed and if the Selectmen vote in favor of the override , the result could add 21 cents to the present tax rate. This would also have to be approved at Town Meeting. The Override will also have to be approved by voters  in May in the general election. The present tax rate is 5.93 per thousand dollars of  assessed value.

 New Fire Station-Impact.

The new Fire Station proposal, which is in the finial stages for bid, could add another 6 cents. This is if and the big word is if, the bids do not exceed the 4 million cap the Selectmen have but on the proposed new station. The Fire Station is on the Annual Warrant as of now, but could be put off  too a later date for a Special Town Meeting. The end result would still mean an increase in taxes for next year.

Regular  Town Budget -Impact.
On top of this is the regular budget. There is no word yet what the new budget of 07 will have on the tax rate. Most likely an increase of at least 2 ½ percent over last year.

DY Regional School District-Impact.

Last night we learned the DY Regional School System announced their new budget for next year. A budget that is over 45 million, and represents a 5.26 percent increase over last year. Dennis will most likely need to have an override no matter what funding formula Yarmouth decides to take.The Selectmen will be discussing the school budget with the School Committee on Feb. 27th.

Property Values- Impact.

 The Town will be doing a full Real Estate evaluation next year.  According the Barnstable County Registry of Deeds, figures showed that transactions between $25,000 and $1,000,000 the volume of real estate sales for 2005 compared to 2004 was down 9.3%. The total value of sales was down 4.4% from the previous year. But, the average individual property sales value was up 5.4% from the previous year. The bottom line is the home sales are down, but values are still going up along with our tax rates.

 The Bottom Line.

The proposed increases in Real Estate Taxes might not sit well with the taxpayers in Yarmouth. When you raise the tax base  the Community Preservation tax will increase with it.The Taxpayers (Voters) will be the deciding factor on what the Bottom Line will be on raising taxes.

Override Update.
The Yarmouth Board of Selectmen tonight voted to place a Prop 2 ½ Override on the Annual Town Warrant.  The Selectmen voted 3 in favor, 1 abstaining and 1 no vote. The Finance Committee is recommending the Override to be about 850,000 dollars instead of the 1.3 million.

DY School District Update.
The Town has recommended only a 2 percent increase in the Towns funding. This means the School Committee will have to make a decision on the 3.56 percent difference. They will have to decide either to make cuts or to place an override on the Town Warrant.  There will be more details in Part III along with some questions on parts of the Override.

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