MELROSE — Voters will decide whether to raise property taxes to give the city’s schools and other municipal departments more money to operate.
This week, the City Council officially set Tuesday, June 18 as the date for a special election to see if voters want a $7.7 million operational override of Proposition 2 1/2.
Last week, Mayor Jen Grigoraitis said that of the $7.7 million — which will be added to the city’s tax base forever — $4.2 million will be dedicated to the schools and $3.5 million will be dedicated for other municipal departments.
Supporters feel the city needs more money to operate. Opponents don’t want to see their property taxes go up any higher and cite lack of financial oversight as a major issue. They also don’t appreciate the fact that this override debate will last just over one month before being put to a vote.
More on the override appears inside this week’s issue.
