Thursday, February 8, 2007 Older Editions

Status quo still big bucks

Want the town to deliver more? Get out your checkbook. Your taxes will need to balloon. Want your taxes to stop increasing? You're better off holding onto your wallet than holding your breath. The town manager has indicated the town will struggle just to maintain current services without a Proposition 21/2 override for the operating budget. And neither the town manager's budget, nor the school department budget, contain any money for employee raises. All Andover union contracts expire at the start of this coming fiscal year, FY08. So, even the status quo will come with a heftier price tag.

The town may also ask residents to approve two separate debt exclusions of Proposition 21/2 to maintain its property. It needs $12 million to pay for five years of school-roof repairs and $5.6 million to pay for five years of sidewalk reconstruction. Debt exclusions allow the town to raise taxes above the rate allowed by state law temporarily. A private article seeks to add another 3-percent surcharge for community preservation. All this before Town Meeting voters decide other important issues, such as whether to spend $2.1 million to buy land that could be home to a future school.

All in all, expect another sizable hit to your wallet this year. The questions are, how big a hit can you afford? And, what do you want your money to do for you? It's a year for all residents to let their priorities be known. This spring, you can let your answers be heard at Town Meeting and, quite possibly, the special-election ballot box.