Snow - Taxes - Childcare - Grants - School Play
Patrick White for State Representative
It's snowing today, but that doesn't change the fact that we're seeing warmer temperatures and the resulting lack of ice on our local lakes. As one of three Berkshire County residents on the Governor's new Climate Advisory Board, protecting our lakes from the threat of toxic algae blooms is top of mind.
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I read with interest today's Berkshire Eagle editorial, "The budget conversation Pittsfield needs". The Eagle presents a Hobson's choice of budget cuts vs. the government Pittsfield needs in the context of property taxes. There is a third way.
How to Reduce Property Taxes
The state needs to reimagine how we fund local government. I am running for State Representative in Berkshire 3rd to do just that.
Here are three examples of my proposals to reduce the property tax burden.
1. Tax the tourists, not the homeowners.
First, close the loophole of non-taxed services, from tickets to massages to excursions to anything else that a visitor consumes. Treat services like we treat AirBnBs. Add a local options tax. Other states do it. Foxborough does it with Gillette Stadium. Why can't we?
Second, give Berkshire tourist towns the ability to charge the same rate that Boston and Cape Cod towns charge for the local option rooms tax by increasing the maximum from 6% to 8.75%.
Third, embrace a split rate on the meals tax. Currently, municipalities receive .75% meal tax. For high-priced meals, make it the same as the rooms tax.
2. Make money cheaper.
Massachusetts has a Water Abatement Trust that gives towns access to cheap money, 0-1% interest, to fix water systems. Let's expand that to include roads, bridges, housing, and schools and fund it with the new millionaire's tax. The difference in borrowing at 0% vs. 6% halves the annual payment, so the carrying cost of fixing a bridge is half to taxpayers. Put another way, with my proposal, you could fund 1.5x the amount of projects, and still save 25% on the capital portion of your tax bill.
3. Close the out-of-state homeowner loophole.
Your state income tax pays for over 50% of state government, $22 billion. That's what funds local aid, including Chapter 70 (schools) and Chapter 90 (roads and bridges). Out-of-state homeowners don't pay income tax in Massachusetts. In Boston, the residential exemption saves the average property taxpayer over $2,300 annually. The current residential exemption option, which gives municipalities the right to tax second homeowners at a higher rate, is perceived by some as unfair. I get that. But can't we all agree that homeowners from out of state who aren't paying income tax in Massachusetts, and therefore aren't paying to support Chapters 70 and 90, are the ones getting the deal. Let's close the loophole and amend the residential exemption so that it could apply only to out-of-state second homeowners.
If the state were to adopt these proposals, you'd see your property tax burden drop by 20% to 50%, depending on the municipality. This would immediately reduce the pressure on local officials to kick the can down the road when it comes to deferred investment in our infrastructure, while still providing much-needed tax relief.
Together, we can reimagine how we fund local government. How about we do that?
I love everything about my house... except the taxes!
Jobs, Jobs, Jobs… and Child Care!
Yesterday, I visited the Job Fair in Great Barrington run by the good folks at MassHire. Recruiters in attendance included a bunch of great organizations: Greenagers, Catamount, AdLib, Cintas, and others. It was great to listen and learn about these awesome local employers.
Perhaps the most interesting part to me was a conversation I had with Chelsea and Melanie of MassHire. They lamented the high cost of childcare. Currently, subsidized childcare in Massachusetts is only available to a family of four making $30,000 or less. Yet, the cost of childcare is running $275 per week for working families who make more than that. Think about this: For two working parents or a single parent making more than 30 grand, childcare costs run nearly $15 grand a year. We need to make it easier on families to have access to quality childcare while pursuing their careers. How about rather than a cliff of eligibility, we scale so that middle class parents can afford to raise their family? When reports suggest it takes $56 grand just to afford an apartment, a $30k cliff is just too low. It's why a lot of parents can't afford to work, which makes it hard for companies to find the folks they need to hire.
Let's renew our efforts to focus on middle class, bread-and-butter, family issues. The middle class just needs it to get a little easier to raise their families. Between my tax proposals and renewed emphasis on issues like childcare costs, I plan to do just that.
Some of the organizations at yesterday's Job Fair in Great Barrington.
A Sea of Grants
Look, with all the other responsibilities that select board members have, grant research is easy to let fall to the wayside.
Don't let it!
I spend every week researching grant opportunities. It's how I uncovered the state's inland dredging grant my town applied for earlier this month. This week, I focused on the EPA's Community Change grant opportunity. I am not ready to say much at this point, but this is a grant in the $10 million to $20 million range for which my town is in a qualifying census tract. I also met with a Lenox select board member brainstorming a project and associated grant opportunities for walking and bike paths in our communities.
Grant research is time-consuming and hard work, but it is time well spent. It can make a world of difference in how we fund local government, nonprofits, and our communities as a whole. There's an unprecedented amount of grant money available right now, but that won't always be the case. We need to do a better job of connecting opportunities with applications and providing our towns with the resources to make these applications. This should a huge priority going forward. Your state representative can and should play the role of being the glue that connects state and federal grant opportunities with local leaders. I plan to be that glue.
Josh Billings Bike Portion
PCB Clean-up: Keeping an Eye on Cancer
The last big initiative of mine this past week of mine was to keep the focus on cancer as it relates to the Rest of River clean-up. As I've said, this is a very personal issue for me. I want to thank the Stockbridge second homeowner who works at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for her help getting me up to speed on this critically important issue. I've still got a lot of learning and listening to do. Stay tuned for more on this, but suffice to say for now: we need a stronger focus on the risks that disturbed PCBs present in both the water column and when aerosolized. The good news: there are a number of nationally-renown scientists who are also local stakeholders and who care deeply about the Berkshires. Let's harness their expertise for the best outcome possible.
Housatonic River
MMRHS School Play
Wednesday night, I had the pleasure of attending the MMRHS school play, Once Upon a Mattress. The performance was hosted by the school's National Honor Society. That's the same NHS I was a member of when I attended Monument Mountain a long time ago.
First, great job! What a fun performance this was! It runs tonight and tomorrow and if you can, you should attend! It reminded me of working as a stage hand for Guys and Dolls, where my brother played Nathan Detroit, and my role as an extra in our senior play, The Happy Time. The director at the time, Mr. Brolli, was quite the character in his own right!
It was especially fun to talk to the NHS students about local schools and issues. It reminded me of the importance of youth voices, and how folks like me need to do a better job of listening to the wisdom and idealism that is often found with young folks.
If I can play some small part in making the world, and the Berkshires, a better place for future generations, well that's a big part of what motivates me.
The kids are alright!
Can you donate?
First, thanks if you already have. Join with me and if you can, support this campaign. It costs money to mount a successful campaign. There are the lawn signs, the direct mail, all the work that goes into launching an 18-town campaign. Every donation helps no matter the size (maximum is $1,000 per person per year). Please, if you believe, as I do, that all the folks of the Berkshires, no matter their means, deserve a strong voice and a hard worker at the State House, please consider supporting these efforts.
You can donate by clicking here:
https://secure.actblue.com/donate/patrick-3rd
Or you can mail a check to:
Patrick Thomas White Committee
81 Hawthorne Street
Lenox, MA 01240
Donations, be they small or large, are essential if I am going to win this. Every dollar, just like every vote, is important. Thanks for any help you can provide.
I am in it to win it and am running to effect real change. I'd love to have your support.
Warmly,
Patrick White
PS: You can find detailed positions on my campaign website:
https://www.patrickwhiteberkshires.com
Hanging out with Janis Broderick, the Executive Director of the Berkshire's Elizabeth Freeman Center. Janis, you are a jewel in our community. Thank you so much for your 16 years of advocacy on behalf of women in need.
Previous Notes
Week ending 3/15/2024
Economic development, family farms, why just water? read more
Week ending 3/8/2024
Affordable housing, Climate Advisory Board, Multicultural Bridge, economic development, ROR filing. read more
Week ending 3/1/2024
West Stockbridge rent control brief, PCB radio interview, cancer and the river, reducing property taxes. read more
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