Dear Editor,
Graphic provided by NO in NOvember.
With Election Day approaching, we'd like to introduce two local ballot question committees: Vote NO in NOvember – Proposition 2.5 and Vote NO in NOvember – CPA. We formed these committees to offer another perspective on Questions 10 and 11.
We all care about Reading. We want good schools, strong police and fire departments, a good library, and a town we're proud to call home. But we also need to look out for the people who live here.
Question 10 asks voters to approve a $6.5 million Proposition 2½ override. We recognize the Town's financial challenges, but residents have been presented with only one spending plan.
Suppose the override were $3 million, $4 million, or $5 million instead. How much could we accomplish at those levels? We'd especially like to know whether we could keep our police and fire services intact, along with classroom teachers and full-day kindergarten. What would we have to give up? These are reasonable questions, yet we still haven't seen detailed plans at those levels.
Question 11 is the Community Preservation Act (CPA). It would mean an additional 1% surcharge on property taxes. That money would go into a separate fund for open space, recreation, historic preservation, and community housing.
We recognize the value of these projects and the state matching funds CPA offers. But we're concerned about adding another tax, limiting how the money can be spent, and creating a separate process for recommending projects that may not align with our existing capital priorities.
Then there's the combined tax impact. Using the Town's published figures for the average single-family home, property taxes are projected to increase approximately 23% from FY2026 to FY2028 if both questions pass. That includes normal levy growth and the previously approved Killam School and ReCAL debt exclusions. That's nearly a quarter more in just two years.
Some residents can manage that increase. Others can't. We think especially about seniors who have spent decades working, raising families, and paying taxes in Reading. After all those years of contributing to this town, they deserve the chance to enjoy retirement without worrying about being priced out of their homes.
Before asking our neighbors to pay more, shouldn't we at least show them what the other options look like? For some households, every dollar matters. They deserve to know what choices are available.
Voting NO in NOvember gives us the opportunity to do just that. Then let's examine the options, weigh the tradeoffs, and work together to get to YES on the right plan for Reading.
Our neighbors matter. Affordability matters.
Sincerely,
Ron Powell
Chair, Vote NO in NOvember – Proposition 2.5
Chair, Vote NO in NOvember – CPA
Reading, Massachusetts
Learn more: https://noinnovember.org