To Patch.com and Susan Petroni: You are doing a fabulous job getting so much information out to the public about Framingham issues. Patch.com is the "Federal Express" in overnight service. More people are moving away from the local newspaper and relying on Patch.com for needed coverage.
I viewed last night's Framingham Town Meeting on this webpage regarding Senior Exemptions. The "blog" format and amount of the conversations are incredible.What you are providing in the way of public information puts, for an example, the BOS meeting minutes to shame. If you recall, last Tuesday, March 13, the Board of Selectmen finally approved one of the minutes of a meeting that had taken place in 2010. This information will now become available to taxpayers if people go to the Main Library to view this document. It's been a pattern for the last number of years. Shameful.
Please continue publishing information about Framingham. Using today's technology to get information out is a necessity. The internet is not an option for the Town of Framingham to promptly get public information and records out to its citizens. It is a necessity.
George Lewis
Town Meeting Member, Precinct 18 Chair
Member of the Standing Committee on Planning and Zoning

Jeanne Bullock's comment at 9:13 is a common one that never fails to infuriate me. I am soooo tired of the kids vs seniors arguments. Unless she sent her kids to private school someone else helped to pay for her kid's public education. It is not a pay only when you go system, and it's success is because of a rolling investment by all the residents. This is also true of Social Security, something that only benefits seniors. Everyone pays into the system to support the current seniors - you don't just pay for your own use. You have to be willing to support the the argument at both ends, not just when it is convenient based on your stage of life.

The only difference is the younger people are going to inherit huge debt.
We older ones fortunate to collect SS can spend our last years somewhat surviving.
The younger ones....I really feel bad for ya. This is where the parents of these younger people have fallen down on the job.....They have opened their pockets up to the "lets give money to everyone" syndrome and this is the legacy they are going to leave to their children.
Huge debt! I'm glad I'm on this side of the line.
Jim@ccfiile.com

The real problem is that the tax break was just for seniors. Lots need help, not just them. To make it worse, seniors are over represented in Town Meeting. They essentially voted themselves a break, against the recommendation of the Town Meeting standing committees.

Ted.....Are you kidding....Over represented by seniors? Like that means anything.
How about being overrepresented by School people (senior and whatever) who have only one thing on their mind. Themselves and their jobs!
What are they going to do when we don't have enough money to pay our essential bills and they want their money that goes to whom?
The elderly don't come even close to getting what the school expenses are.
The town is run by liberals who are giving away the storehouses.
How long do you think we're going to function this way before the house comes tumbling down.
Oh, by the way lets not forget the 16 mill or more for the retiree's health insurance that we have put nothing aside for. That is just the first installment, many millions more to come, like 200 million more.
You think we have problems now.......we'll be looking back on today as the good old days.
So Ted....what is you plan for that? The tidal wave is coming are you ready for it.
Jim@ccfiile.com

Was there a record taken of how the TMMs voted? I'd be interested in seeing how the TMMs from my precinct voted on this topic.

There is no record.....just ask the people in your precinct.
It had to be on paper to create a record. This was a hand vote.
Now that will be a job for you.....
Jim@ccfiile.com

Do you know when the electronic voting equipment will start being used?

Scott - do you normally call your TMMs prior to a Town Meeting to voice your opinion and let them know how you would like them to vote? Does anybody?

Most people in the town seem to be out of touch with their TM representatives.
I would like to see mandatory meetings held with all the precincts having their own.
The Chairs would be the ones arranging them in a space that could accommodate
at least 50 people.
This way the Chairs would let the rest of the people in the precinct know what was going on. Now the big question would be would this work? Would the precincts get the turnout. This should be done with Spring TM and Fall TM....so you're only talking two meetings per year.
At least you will get the TMM there all 12 or whatever number there is....whether any of the other people show up is another story.
The problem I see with TM is not too many people care what's going on, and the meeting gets hijacked with people who have their own selfish agendas.
Would be nice to get the rest of the towns people involved, as all the votes taken do effect them.
Jim@ccfiile.com

The senior "discount" bothered me. Why? Because as Town Meeting Members we aren't given a final figure. How MANY older ones will be going for the tax relief? I don't feel good voting for anything when there is not a solid figure set in stone. Lots of things about this bothered me. You have to remember when you chop off money from one spot it reacts like the whack a mole, it comes up somewhere else by cuts in other critical departments.

So let's say this senior tax relief cost us $375,000. With the high figure set for this as 750 participants X $500. That relief is relieving us of potential firemen hires, police hires, equipment purchases. Let's say a town truck costing $50,000. You see what this can ultimately cost us? You do the math. Next time what is going to be the next tax relief effort, overweight people? The blind, those divorced with children? Where is this all going?

But hey, keep paying for all those Illegals bringing in their kids who get FREE lunches, busing, FREE EVERYTHING and you do NOTHING to stop these people who keep coming here who send MILLIONS back to their country of origins. Why don't you go for a TAX from that money? This is our town whack a mole. But nobody's whacking that mole.

I personally feel this senior tax relief should have been discussed at next annual town meeting with more final figures to work with.

Joe Rizoli
Precinct 14

Sue is providing a great service to
Framingham with the Patch

I voted agsinst it......it is wrong ....as it is written.....and does not include all those over 65....and it takes place when many are calling for more cuts in services....which is insane while the same people were supporting tax discounts......its part of the blame game in town....and does nothing but rob the school system and other departments of needed revenue to provide services

The hypocracy is disgusting..The renters who are 65 pay 12,000 a year not 5,000 and their rent will increase because of the same faulty acusations and reasoning and blame. No one cares about the elderly --otherwise --the 65s in rental units would be covered..I asked for that in the ways and means and the BOS --per Jason is not considering it and neither is anyone else. Not one argument at the Tax payers assoc meeting made any sense.. and why would it....no one had any expereince with assements or appraisls.....but there was lots of blame being thrown around....Dont tell me to stop debating....this was wrong becuse many of the same group want deep cuts in services.. targeted at education! the loudest have no kids.. the hypocracy is deep and ugly....Cutting services will hurt the town & make the parents who already are double dipped...paying taxes and fees for busing and sports & other programs. Worse, those who want to cut services so badly and VOTed for the discount for seniors is you dont want the program to work....that is the worst of it....I heard how the fewer go for the discount the better since it will then not affect the budget in other departments..how insane...an article is that>?? and hypocritical....lets vote for somthing that we dont want used TO MUCH! Right? ..The article as written is a blob of hypocracy and built on fabrication and knee jerk reactions to serouis local and national issues.

I guess some people here think that a town can continue on spending and taxes will go down.
The real issues are WE can't pay for all the things you want and keep taxes low.
School, police, fire are fair game in cutting because they are there.
Unless someone finds the money tree growing in the town then we are going to have to deal with deep cuts or increase in taxes.
This isn't a fight between good and bad it's just reality.
Again....no mention of the 16 million dollar retirees health care bill that will have to be funded EVERY year and we haven't out a dime into yet.
Why is this most important topic being avoided in the discussion?
This is going to sink the town like no other....
LLoyd....why don't you talk about this issue....you can kiss the schools, police, fire, etc good bye when this kicks in.
This will definitely put us in override territory and that will bring a big exodus of elderly and those not able to cope with higher taxes, and when that happens we've hit the tipping point.
Jim@ccfiile.com

This comment:
>>..Cutting services will hurt the town & make the parents who already are double dipped...paying taxes and fees for busing and sports & other programs>>

Guess what Lloyd? WHO doesn't pay for these things? You guessed it, your Illegal alien community that you don't even talk about that is costing us MILLIONS. These people can lie about WHO they are in behalf of their kids, send gads of money back home to their countries of origin and get get get while the people you're talking about the elderly, give give give.... maybe someday Lloyd YOU can play fair here and make EVERYONE, including the illegal aliens YOU'RE protecting to play fair.

ANYBODY who has their kids in the Framingham public Schools should NOT be receiving ANY break if their family's are sending money out of the country to support their lifestyle in another country. This should be looked to as FRAUD.

Being Illegal with false documents continues to make it very difficult for AMERICANS to get a fair break especially when THEY have to pay for the Illegal parents free services while they bankroll their countries of origin. It is not fair. But no peep from Lloyd and his Illegal alien protection blindness.

Joe Rizoli