Use this search box to find articles that have run in our newspapers over the last several years.
Date: 12/7/2021
SPRINGFIELD – Arduous debate dominated the Nov. 29 and Nov. 30 City Council meetings, with councilors airing mixed sentiments about the tax rate process.
To address ramifications from the pandemic, Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno sent orders for $2.5 million in Fiscal Year (FY) 21 free cash to be used for FY22 tax relief and an additional $2.5 million in FY21 free cash for FY23 tax relief. Chief Administrative and Financial Officer TJ Plante spoke on behalf of the mayor at the meeting, saying the relief funds are part of a larger strategy to decrease rates for residents and businesses owners as they continue to increase.
The mayor’s relief order was met with dissension from councilors, including Councilor At-Large Tracye Whitfield. The councilor argued that the relief efforts are not substantial enough to combat the pandemic’s economic deficits, proposing to double the $2.5 million for each year to $5 million for FY22 and FY23 tax relief.
Whitfield said the mayor’s proposition would still burden citizens as rates increase but their income does not.
After Plante revealed that the mayor is holding firm in his position, Whitfield stressed that more relief should be applied to citizens considering the city is trending well from a revenue perspective. “During the pandemic, when people are losing their homes and losing their family, [citizens] can certainly use more of a tax break than what the mayor is proposing,” said Whitfield.
Whitfield’s stance was supported by Councilor At-Large Kateri Walsh, Councilor At-Large Justin Hurst, Ward 1 Councilor Gumersindo Gomez and Ward 6 Councilor Victor Davila. Walsh argued that the homeowners and businesses are going to suffer from the pandemic’s extenuating circumstances, advocating to offer as much relief as possible to aid the issue. “Are we doing enough? I am not clear on that,” said Walsh. Hurst also mentioned that the tax bill is likely to continue to increase while also advocating for a clearer back-and-forth conversation between the mayor and the council about tax relief.
Ward 2 Councilor Michael Fenton opposed Whitfield’s stance on the issue, believing that Springfield compares favorably to other communities in terms of property tax bills and other economic bills. “Strategically when you compare us to the rest of the commonwealth, we fare very well,” said Fenton. The councilor broke down continual decline in tax rates Springfield has had since taking office in 2010, with the city now possessing the second lowest tax rate in the state.
While acknowledging Springfield’s progress, Whitfield stressed that the pandemic has created unordinary circumstances for the city’s constituents. “Free cash is part of [the constituents] money, why wouldn’t we want to do better and give it back to them,” questioned Whitfield. With concerns over an upcoming economic recession, Whitfield said its paramount to stay ahead of dire circumstances. She also suggested that money from MGM could be utilized if the mayor’s office does not want to utilize free cash.
The council ultimately voted to continue the meeting to the next day in order to finalize the relief orders, with the councilors advocating for Sarno to be in attendance for the next meeting.
Nov. 30 Meeting
At the start of the Nov. 30 meeting, the councilors expressed frustration with the mayor’s lack of attendance for the tax rate meeting. “He’s never been to a tax rate meeting before and I don’t think he’s going to stop that precedent now,” said Plante, who revealed that the mayor was not willing to increase the relief amount due to fiscal responsibility for the city.
Plante said that the use of relief funds was not fiscally responsible, but the mayor wanted to supplement challenges of the pandemic through his relief orders. He also highlighted programs like housing and senior assistance that are being promoted to help citizens in need.
Walsh said it is unfair for the councilors to be considered fiscally irresponsible for wanting to do more for citizens and business owners. She argued for there to be more wiggle room even if the mayor did not agree to Whitfield’s proposed $5 million figure for 2022 and 2023 tax relief.
“I still don’t think it’s enough for the taxpayers…I’m disappointed there isn’t more of a compromise,” said Walsh, who vouched for more awareness to be spread about the city’s assistance programs.
Other councilors echoed Walsh’s sentiments. Gomez stressed that the council needs to be more involved with the tax rate process.
“Right now, we can’t even put up a fight on behalf of our residents because we have no leeway,” said Gomez. The councilor stressed that initiatives need to be in place for this “trap” to not occur over future tax discussions. Whitfield also stated that many of the city programs do not aid everyone who is struggling with the pandemic’s impacts.
Ward 8 Councilor Orlando Ramos said he would ultimately support the relief efforts and shared appreciation for the economic team’s due diligence. “I would caution my colleagues in voting against it,” said Ramos, who revealed that the relief measure would decrease the tax increase from $278 to $216. That said, the councilor called the mayor’s approach “disrespectful” to the council after declining meeting requests. “It’s not a way to do business. The residents of the City of Springfield want to see the government working together,” said Ramos.
After contested debate, the council ultimately approved the FY22 tax relief and the FY23 tax relief orders. The council then approved the .7927 FY22 tax factor in a 10 to 3 vote, with Whitfield stressing that the council will closer scrutinize the budget process next year..