Fund Medford

The budget numbers for 2023-2024 are beginning to be released and it does not look good. It is time to think bigger.

MSC - Committee of the Whole Meeting: FY24 Budget - 4.10.2023

The implications of our low tax rate is playing out in the teacher contract negotiations with the MTA. It is worth listening to the presentation from the September 12th School Committee that was made by Dave Murphy that starts around minute 47.

Castus VOD Widget

One of the hottest weekends of the year and the parking lot at the library remains empty.

While any extra funding is helpful, last minute deals don’t allow for planning and stability. Staff cannot be hired and trained without long-term budget commitments by city hall.

Structural deficits will continue to harm our city until Medford commits to a Proposition 2 1/2 override.

Unfortunately, an override won’t be on the ballot in November.

There is an interesting discussion happening on the Medford Politics page.

One criteria that is used to asses the grant application for a new Medford High School is “Community Readiness”. Having never had an override on the ballot in Medford puts our application at a significant disadvantage!

There are still *many* questions to ask but Mayor Lungo-Kohen has made a proposal via social media.

What are your questions about her statement? Comment below!

Can't attend Tuesday's City Council meeting?

Use the template email in the comments below or write your own message and send it to [email protected] and [email protected].

How has this budget affected your, your family and your neighbors? Are you worried about schools, housing, or safe streets?

Share stories in the comments below or use the hashtag . And, share your stories on Tuesday at the City Council because the Mayor needs to hear how this budget is hurting our community!

FAQ: What about new growth? Can't Medford raise revenue by adding businesses and housing?

Unlike some surrounding towns that lack available space, there are several areas in Medford, both commercial and residential, that are ready for redevelopment! However, without adequate staff to plan and implement big-vision projects, Medford's development will continue to lag behind our neighbors.

FY 2023 is expecting about $1.5 million dollars in revenue from new growth. Medford isn't developing fast enough to close the structural deficit.

A Prop 2 1/2 override could allow for a vibrant and growing Medford Square, West Medford Square, and Mystic Ave!

Medford is not funding our city's needs.
We need a Proposition 2 1/2 override on the ballot in November.

Put simply, Medford doesn’t take in enough revenue to pay its bills. By law, Medford, and any city in Massachusetts, cannot raise property taxes by more than 2.5% each year. At around $3 million each year, that increase isn't large enough to pay for roads, schools, or services at city hall.

Fund Medford is asking Mayor Lungo-Koehn to support a Proposition 2.5 override proposal for November 2022 and submit it to the state by the August 3rd deadline.

Take a few minutes to watch the presentation of the Medford Public School budget to the city council. Superintendent Edouard-Vincent's presentation and Assistant Superintendent Dave Murphy's follow-up were very informative.

Dr. Edouard-Vincent says:
"Please know… the MPS administration prepares for a multitude of contingencies in the development of our operation budget and we have made a series of strategic modifications and reductions so that we are prepared to implement an operating budget consistent with the Mayor’s recommendation.

While this budget is technically balanced, the narrowness with which we have constructed the budget on the basis of the $68,994,776 allocation has required a series of strategic compromises."

https://medford.vod.castus.tv/vod/?video=feadb0c0-529a-4d31-aa3d-9b08a02b0add&nav=programs%2FCommittee%20of%20the%20Whole%3A%20School%20Budget%206%2F21%2F22

This article is from 1991, when Proposition 2 1/2 was only 10 years old. Municipalities across Massachusetts were already struggling to fund schools, city hall, and make needed infrastructure investments. In the past 30 years, the budget has only gotten tighter.

Did you know that Medford is one of only four cities in Massachusetts that have never attempted a Prop 2 1/2 override?

As Economy Worsens, Proposition 2 1/2 Draws Criticism | News | The Harvard Crimson When the controversial tax law Proposition 2 1/2 went into effect almost 10 years ago, many Massachusetts voters celebrated what

The brand new Medford Public Library will be closing on Saturdays during the summer, just when children and families need this resource the most.

"The problems are rooted, many elected officials say, in years of underfunding of city services in Medford, where property taxes are low compared to other municipalities in the Greater Boston area.

“We’ve been making cuts, reallocations, and redistributions every year I’ve been [on the school committee],” Graham, who was elected in 2019, told the Globe earlier this week. “My bigger concern is that I’ve not heard a revenue plan from the mayor that tells us whether we can expect this again next year.”

The mayor told the Globe Thursday she expects fiscal 2024 to be “another tough year.”

Several officials have floated a referendum to increase property taxes as a remedy to the city’s fiscal woes. The mayor has rejected that idea."

‘Frantic and confusing’ back-and-forth over Medford’s budget has officials scrambling as deadline looms - The Boston Globe First, officials expected federal dollars to cover the costs of key services. Then, they learned they would receive much less funding than expected. Now, Medford's new finance head says it was all a miscalculation, but the mayor is still proposing significant cuts in her budget.