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Local option meals tax featured on Town Meeting warrant

Date: 4/29/2015

EAST LONGMEADOW – Residents at the May 18 Annual Town Meeting will be asked to vote whether or not they approve of the implementation of an additional meals tax at local restaurants.

Article 21 calls for the town to adopt a local options meals excise tax under Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 64L.

Board of Selectmen Chair Paul Federici told Reminder Publications the board approved the article for the warrant and it would adopt a 0.75 percent tax for purchasing meals at local eating establishments.

“It’s not a tremendous amount,” he added. “We’re trying to find other sources of income because we’re getting to the point where we have to put some restraints on how much we raise the property taxes for a number of reasons. Obviously, we try not to overtax the residents.”

Longmeadow residents approved a similar meals tax at its 2012 Special Town Meeting.

Article 10 calls to establish a freeze on residential real estate taxes at the current level for residents 70 years older on or before Dec. 31 of any calendar year, who have owned and occupied, “as applicants principal residence, the land and building for which the freeze is requested, for 10 consecutive years.” The article is a citizen petition by Selectman William Gorman.

However, Town Moderator James Sheils told Reminder Publications the Town Meeting cannot approve what the article requests.

“The real estate tax structure is governed by state law, not by local law, and so even if this were to be passed at the Town Meeting it wouldn’t take effect,” he added. “I’m not sure if any action will be taken on Article 10 at all.”

The “proper procedure” in this case would be to petition the state to allow for a change in residential real estate taxes, Sheils noted.

Article 20 is a petition sponsored by the Board of Selectmen, which calls for residents to request special legislation from the state authorizing the town to not provide health insurance premiums to elected officials who are part time, spending less than 20 hours a week on town business.

“They would not be entitled to participate in the health and life insurance plans offered by the town in terms of the town making any contribution towards the premiums,” Sheils said. “The way that the article is worded is that they could receive coverage under those plans if the elected paid the full cost of the premium that was attributable to his or her participation, plus to the extent that there are any additional administrative costs.”

Article 24 is also a citizen petition by Gorman, which “speaks to the health insurance issue,” Sheils said.

The article calls for a Town Meeting vote to tell the Board of Selectmen “how to amend their rules and regulations and they can’t do that,” he noted. The rules and regulations of the Board of Selectmen can only be set by the board.

“Once again, I don’t think the article that is in the warrant can be acted on by the town because it’s beyond the Town Meeting’s powers,” Shiels said.

“That will not be acted upon,” he added.

The town’s FY16 proposed budget is $54.2 million, as recommended by the Appropriations Committee.

“This year we are recommending a budget that fills some voids within our town’s services; including a full time health inspector, 2.5 full time equivalent positions within the schools, and increased full time coverage by the Fire Department,” report from the Appropriations Committee reads.

A total of $400,000 in unused levy capacity would remain out of the FY16 budget, which would minimize the tax increase to residents and keep the tax rate “as low as possible,” according to the report.