How much money is the town earning from the movie filming? Shouldn't that money be used toward these overrides?

The town saved 2 million dollars by changing to the state insurance program (GIC).

How much of that $2 million went towards the overide? ZERO!.

A NO vote is a vote against the FUNDING method, NOT the project. These are imporrtant projects that should be funded out of the insurance savings.

We do not need another tax increase. Make the Selectemen do their jobs and pay for these important projects out of taxes NOT OVERRIDES!

On the Lead Mills property: if we approve its purchase, does this mean we will be paying the taxes on this land indefinitely? Can we afford to maintain undeveloped open space with no tax benefit to Marblehead? Seems like a great luxury to me .... in this day and age of tightened belts. I am all for open space, but I'm not sure I can actually afford that particular piece of it for the foreseeable future, when there is no income from it for my town .... Will we sell it to a developer? Questions I need answers to ...

$25 million? On just remediating the land???? Good lord .....

FB KIng

Once this land is purchased it is open space FOREVER. It can't be developed or sold. The seller gets a huge tax break for selling this for open space and it is purchased as PASSIVE Recreation which means no buildings, no development whatsoever (versus at a minimum $100K in annual propertay taxes - forever; compounded by Prop 2 1/2)

It is zoned for 5 families but the zoning could be changed to permit an elder care facility or even a small business park (think the colonial buildings in Andover.)

John
Does the electorate know this?? Are voters assuming that the land will be sold for development and that the town will make some money?? Or do people really want to keep it totally open, pay the taxes on it forever, and just let it be? It seems like a great luxury .... and one that a lot of us cannot afford. But I think your point is that paying for it does not necessarily require an override, that town monies could do it? As for development, if it's zoned for 5 families, why wouldn't it be developed for that? Or for an office park??? I'm not getting this .....

FB King

I'm doing everything I can to tell the electorate. I'd prefer development on this spot because I want new people to come into Marblehead, or new businesses.

Don't buy the fable that new houses mean more kids and then higher school budget.

When a new kid comes to town and goes to school the school budget does not change one bit.

In fact mathematically, adding a new kid means the average cost per pupil GOES DOWN.

Average spent per pupil is a good comparison metric with other towns, but it is NOT a PRICE per STUDENT metric.

If you vote no, then development is an option. Vote yes and it’s off the tax roles forever.

John B., I hear you!