“At this time much thought and discussion are being given to the cost of government as expressed in taxes. The expenses incurred in the building and the maintenance of schools are among the large items in the budget.” This remark appeared in the Belmont Citizen … in 1931.
The article described a town whose population had doubled in 10 years to 22,000. In our time, growth has been much more modest, but consequential: Belmont school enrollment has soared 40% (even accounting for a pandemic dip) in the past 30 years, while the overall population has grown by 10%. Our tax base has not kept pace. In a period when inflation often outstripped the standard 2 ½% property tax increase, it is remarkable Belmont has managed with only one operating override in 20 years.
Some things have not changed. Even in the Great Depression, teacher salaries were, according to the Belmont Citizen, the “largest item in the school budget.” Today, salaries remain our biggest expenditure for both town and schools – meaning painful layoffs if we don’t pass the override. We will not just have fewer teachers and an impoverished curriculum but also fewer firefighters and emergency medical responders to put out house fires, give us CPR, or rush us to a hospital if necessary.
Thus, I’m left pondering a piece of timeless wisdom from the 1931 article: “When we consider that public administration of such functions as education, health, police protection, etc., is far less expensive than the purchase of these activities by each individual, we should realize that we obtain a great deal for our taxes.” Please join me in voting Yes on Question 1 on April 2.
Mary Lewis, Randolph Street