It’s the New Year and time to get back to businessDate: 1/3/2018 So it’s back to the real world since now the holidays have past. Let’s catch up a bit.
In Chicopee, there has been a buzz on social media about how the city has a whole bunch of certified free cash, but recently increased its taxes. Now, I’m just a professionally ignorant old reporter, but I know that Chicopee is facing a serious deficit on the School Department side of the budget and I’m sure a bunch of that free cash has already been allocated for other expenditures on the city side.
The issue here is communications and explaining to the public how the two facts – increase in taxes and the amount of free cash – fit into the jigsaw puzzle of municipal finance.
Traditionally, the Chicopee City Council has questioned every expense that has come their way, led by Councilor James Tillotson as the unofficial keeper of the checkbook. If you’re a Chicopee resident and have questions about reconciling the free cash with the tax increase, call your councilor and ask some questions.
In East Longmeadow, the Planning Board has figured out a way to allow the Adam & Eve sex positive shop to come into the town, as long as the owner of the store is happy with the single location in an industrial park that will be made available to him.
By placing a 1,000-foot barrier around schools, churches, and homes, they effectively created a tiny sex positive ghetto.
I think the odious threat of having a marital aids shop in town has been killed. The folks who need or want that merchandise will just have to continue to shop at Bookends, where they have been shopping for decades. Just don’t let your neighbors know as they may call you a name like “deviant,” which is a tad rude.
In Longmeadow, the up-coming fight at the town meeting will involve more than just a zoning issue and the Brewer-Young Mansion – it is really a discussion of the realities of historic preservation. L
ongmeadow residents want to freeze their town in time and I do understand that. Longmeadow is a beautiful community and the town green is an incredible institution in urban planning.
The question here is how to reconcile aspirations of preservation with the reality of what to do with a former single-family residence that cannot be maintained as such. That town meeting will be very interesting.
In Springfield, we have a new City Council who will be the legislative body in power when MGM Springfield opens its doors. Obviously there is still one large unresolved issue and that is the 54 market-rate apartments MGM is legally obligated to develop.
The redevelopment of 31 Elm Street – or Court Square – will be an issue the City Council will need to watch and about which they should continue to ask questions.
Throughout the region we are now assured we will have a lively congressional primary race. Attorney Tahirah Amatul-Wadud has announced her intentions to run against Congressman Richard Neal. I’m looking forward to speaking at-length with her, which will be in next week’s editions.
It’s freaking cold
My pal Robert Prince is the guy who knows all about being prepared for emergencies and natural disasters and I was thinking about Bob the other night when at 1:30 in the morning our power went off.
Thankfully despite the freezing temps, we were okay, but Bob’s words about having a safe back-up heat source rang in my head.
Even though we all pride ourselves as hardy New Englanders, many of us – including me – are not as well prepared for a harsh winter, as we should be. Are you?
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