The most recent report from the Warrant Committee concluded that, even with very conservative assumptions, the proposed Belmont Center Overlay would yield, at full buildout, between $230,000 and $940,000 annual revenue to the town. The committee also concluded that, with a hotel, the Gateway Overlay on Concord Avenue would yield between $150,000 and $780,000 annually.
Some have characterized these amounts as negligible. I beg to differ. Consider some of the positions that would have been cut if the last override had failed: as many as eight firefighters’ jobs were threatened. Their salaries could be paid entirely by the mid-revenue scenario. A step-one teacher with a master’s degree, which could help relieve the large class sizes in the high school, currently starts at $58,267. Recently, a part-time children’s librarian was advertised at $31 an hour, a cost to the town of approximately $31,000 annually.
The Belmont budget has already suffered from death by a thousand cuts. Sidewalk repair was removed from the budget for several years running, creating a considerable backlog in repairs, only to be restored thanks to the 2015 override. The Department of Public Works is short-staffed. Language and music instruction has been progressively removed from the lower grades for budgetary reasons. Belmont High School cut its librarian years ago, a fact which could threaten its accreditation if not addressed.
Each of these items is relatively small by itself, but its impact on public safety, quality of life, and education is incalculable. In a town that has nickel-and-dimed away services for years, literally every dollar counts. Much of the benefit of the Belmont Center and Gateway Overlays comes from the foot traffic they would bring to our businesses and the expansion of housing options. But new revenue is also vital for Belmont’s future — and a good reason to vote Yes.
Mary Lewis, Randolph Street