Thursday, May 23, 2013
An overview of revenue and expenditures that tops the $90 million mark.
The first look of Belmont's fiscal year 2014 town-wide budget shows a fiscal outline that shows a nearly $2 million increase from the adjusted 2013 budget. The coming fiscal year's expenses and revenues total $91,736,910, the first time the town's budget has topped the $90 million mark. Take a look at the 11 page fiscal 2014 budget summary as a pdf file on this webpage. The fiscal '14 budget, approved this week by the Belmont Board of Selectmen and the town's Warrant Committee – the fiscal watchdog for the approximately 300 member Town Meeting – and released by the Belmont Town Clerk, will be presented to the annual Town Meeting for its approval at 7 p.m. on June 3 at the Chenery Middle School. A more detailed version of the fiscal '14 …
42.39627
-71.17714
Town Clerk
455 Concord Ave, Belmont, MA
/articles/first-look-at-belmont-s-91-7-million-budget
230704
/locations/9412654
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Outgoing lieutenant governor said recent controversies had nothing to do with decision to resign.
Massachusetts Lt. Gov. Tim Murray said none of the controversies that have dogged him during his tenure on Beacon Hill contributed to his decision to announce his resignation. In a press conference at the State House Wednesday, Murray said his final day on the job will be June 2. The next day he will take over as president and CEO of the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce where his salary will reportedly be around $200,000. In January, Murray said he had no intention of running for governor when Gov. Deval Patrick's term expires in January 2015. "This has been a very difficult but empowering decision," Murray said. "It has been an honor to serve as lieutenant governor." Patrick called Murray an "outstanding partner" during his time in …
42.35763
-71.063499
Massachusetts State House
24 Beacon St, Boston, MA
/articles/murray-to-resign-june-2-patrick-calls-him-outstanding-partner
1465768
/locations/9409818
Water rates to jump to $5.67 per 100 cubic feet while sewer rates will increase to more than $11 per 100.
Belmont residents will be paying more for their water and sewer bills this coming year. But, according to Belmont's DPW Director, the coming fiscal year increase – about double the inflation rate – could be dwarfed by a surge in fees in the next few years from the authority that supplies Belmont's water. The DPW's Peter Castinino informed Belmont's Board of Selectmen at its Tuesday meeting, May 21, that water rates would increase by 3.9 percent and sewer usage by 4.9 percent for a hike of 4.6 percent to most residents and businesses. The Selectmen voted unanimously to approve the rate hike. The current water rate is $5.46 per 100 cubic feet of water up to 3,000 cubic feet. Any amount more than 3,000 cubic feet the rate is $6.28 per 100 …
CBS Boston reports Murray has a new job lined up already.
UPDATE, 12:15 p.m.: The Massachusetts Republican Party was quick to jump on the reports about Murray's resignation, saying Murray is trying "to outrun the scandal that dogs him" in a statement on their website. MassGOP attempted to liken Murray's exit to that of former House Speaker Thomas Finneran, who was convicted of obstruction of justice in 2007. “History doesn’t always repeat itself, but in this case it looks like Tim Murray is following the same path as a previous, disgraced Democratic official,” said Nate Little MassGOP Executive Director in the scathing statement. “Only time will tell if Murray follows the Finneran playbook to the end, complete with indictment and guilty plea.” UPDATE, 10:45 a.m.: Boston.com has updated their …
42.35763
-71.063499
Massachusetts State House
24 Beacon St, Boston, MA
/articles/lt-gov-tim-murray-to-resign
1465768
/locations/9408680
Town Treasurer releases names of residents and others whom the town believes are the owners.
Everyone over time will have forgotten their keys, left their glasses at the bank or misplaced a checkbook. Now Floyd Carman, Belmont's Town Treasurer and Tax Collector has released the names of people or companies that have "abandoned" their property with the town between 2009 and 2011. The list can be found going to the town's website . Abandoned Property pertains to any financial asset without customer generated activity for an extended period of time. What it doesn't pertain to is land or real estate of any kind. One clear example of abandoned property is an uncashed check. If your name or the name of a relative, business partner or just someone you know, contact the Belmont Treasurer and Tax Collecter's office (in the Homer Building…
42.397157
-71.17686
Treasurer & Tax Collector
19 Moore St, Belmont, MA
/articles/belmont-are-you-the-owner-of-abandoned-property
230709
/locations/9407829
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Recap and analysis of the week in state government.
Like pieces of a puzzle that don't quite fit together yet, the Big Three may have been separated at birth, but with each incremental step their destinies seem to grow more intertwined. No, we're not talking about those Big Three - Gov. Deval Patrick, Senate President Therese Murray and Speaker Robert DeLeo - though they play major character roles in this thickening plot. Instead, three bills have come to define the early months of the 2013 legislative agenda and resolutions on tax hikes, local road funding and the annual state budget continue to be elusive and dependent on one another. Patrick spent the early part of his week welcoming British Prime Minister David Cameron to Boston for a few quick meetings and a visit to the Copley …
Friday, May 17, 2013
Construction could begin this summer after board gives tacit approval of project's massing and height.
It may have just been a straw vote among the four Belmont Planning Board members at its Thursday meeting on May 16, but the unanimous tally all but assures the long-stalled Cushing Village retail and residential development will receive a special permit in the next 30 to 60 days that would allow construction of the 185,000 square foot project to begin. "This is a milestone. This vote will move the project forward," said Planning Board Chair Sami Baghdady after he and the members symbolically approved the project's height and mass, creating an "envelope" that allows the developer and abutters an assurance of a specific size and boundary to the adjacent neighborhood. "We're ready to go," said Chris Starr, the president of the development …
42.38052
-71.1746
Common St & Trapelo Rd, Belmont, MA
/articles/milestone-belmont-planning-board-oks-cushing-village-envelope
/locations/9396582
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Selectmen also meeting with Capital Budget Committee to discuss prioritizing large town projects. Snow budget busted.
It really isn't all that "special" but when the annual Belmont Town Meeting re-opens in two weeks, there will be a few articles that are noteworthy in their own ways. A proposed warrant of 18 articles was presented by Town Clerk Ellen Cushman and approved Monday morning, May 13 by the Belmont Board of Selectmen for the Special Town Meeting to be held on Wednesday, May 29. See the Special Town Meeting warrant in a pdf file on this page. The most interesting of the dozen-and-a-half articles will be a new by-law (article 11) requiring most homeowners to remove snow from their sidewalks and a citizen petition (article 18) – which is brought before Town Meeting by residents – that will place a year-long hold on the demolition of single family …
42.39627
-71.17714
Belmont Town Hall
455 Concord Ave, Belmont, MA
/articles/the-belmont-special-selectmen-ok-special-town-meeting-warrant
157295
/locations/9387556
Monday, May 13, 2013
A second year of state waivers will allow historic pool to open for 101st season.
With a great deal of work and presistence from three town departments, families and individuals will have the opportunity to spend summer days and afternoons at Belmont's Underwood Pool as the town secured a number of state waivers to allow the historic outdoor public swimming "hole" to open for the 2013 season. David Kale, who returned from a serious illness to his position as town Town Administrator, told the Belmont Board of Selectmen Monday morning, May 13, the town will also put $30,000 into a ventelation system for the filter house and to paint the pool to make it ready for the season which commencenses in late June and lasts until Labor Day weekend. For the second year running, Health Department Director Stefan Russakow working …
42.394401
-71.170668
Underwood Playground
1 Cottage St, Belmont, MA
/articles/belmont-s-underwood-pool-set-to-open-for-2013-season
230794
/locations/9381646
Saturday, May 11, 2013
Results from a recent executive survey ranked Massachusetts 47th for business.
A CEO magazine ranks Massachusetts as one of the worst states in the nation for business. Chief Executive Magazine ranked Massachusetts 47th based on a survey of corporate leaders. Survey respondents reported the Bay State is one of the worst for taxation and regulation. The state Republican Party is pointing to the survey and saying that Gov. Deval Patrick and the Democratic-led Legislature are bad for the economy and business. What do you think about Massachusetts’ business climate? Is this a good state in which to do business?
Rob C.
5:08 pm on Thursday, May 23, 2013
Tyler, Commonwealth voters overwhelmingly voted for the D next to Duval’s name. The fact that Murrays name was there is irrelevant and nobody voted for him or the Lt Gov position, nobody knows who he is or what the Lt Gov does. Tamerlan Tsarnaev could be on the ballot for governor and have Adam Lanza as Lt Gov in a year and a half, as long as they had a D next to the names, the sheeple of this … more ›