Every tax is a pay cut.  Every tax cut is a pay raise.
Citizens for Limited Taxation

Year 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
State Aid 17.000 14.367 12.100 11.833 13.087 13.944 15.892 16.814 18.693 20.384
 
Year 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005  
State Aid 23.900 27.900 25.535 26.660 22.768 24.348  

This dramatic rise in state aid to Framingham was caused by the stock market bubble. Since it takes one to two years for for wealth to work itself thru the state coffers, we can expect a sharp fall in state aid in the next couple of years.  Keep in mind that the stock market crash was much more precipitous than the stock market rise.  The front end of the economic bubble took about 7 years, but the back end of the economic bubble will fall in two years.  We are already seeing drops in state aid in 2003. This "fiscal crisis" that we face is merely a distortion in economics caused by the stock market bubble, and will pass in two years. In the meantime, it's important to remember to not provide the town government with any operational overrides.  See my open letter.

Town Population Median
Household
Income
Total
State Aid
Aid per
Person
Acton 20,551 $91,624 $8,125,696 $395
Ashland 14,838 $68,392 $5,654,903 $381
Bellingham 15,469 $64,496 $13,654,966 $884
Blackstone 8,903 $55,163 $10,916,092 $1,226
Boxboro 4,925 $87,618 $3,090,223 $627
Concord 17,135 $95,897 $6,459,446 $377
Framingham 67,521 $54,288 29,287,664 $434
Franklin 29,683 $71,174 $25,781,179 $863
Holliston 13,933 $78,092 $11,297,813 $811
Hopedale 5,964 $60,176 $7,244,516 $1,215
Hopkinton 13,478 $89,281 $8,579,000 $637
Hudson 18,316 $58,549 $10,044,834 $548
Marlborough 36,586 $56,879 $16,854,700 $461
Maynard 10,533 $60,812 $5,330.264 $506
Medfield 12,393 $97,748 $5,839,884 $471
Medway 12,574 $75,135 $8,338,509 $663
Mendon 5,338 $71,164 $4,962,238 $930
Milford 27,044 $50,856 $17,151,712 $634
Millis 7,986 $62,806 $4,413,690 $553
Natick 32,516 $69,755 $12,350.709 $380
Newton 84,671 $86,671 $23,588,373 $279
Northborough 14,152 $79,781 $6,985,611 $494
Sherborn 4,236 $121,693 $988,771 $233
Southborough 8,868 $102,986 $4,759,912 $537
Stow 5,968 $96,290 $722,875 $121
Sudbury 16,996 $118,579 $11,092,159 $653
Upton 5,697 $78,595 $5,503,281 $966
Uxbridge 11,272 $61,855 $12,618,432 $1,119
Waltham 59,689 $54,010 $20,552,251 $341
Wayland 13,214 $101,036 $5,080,463 $384
Wellesley 26,826 $113,686 $7,409,674 $276
Westborough 18,200 $73,418 $5,635,478 $310
Weston 11,556 $153,918 $4,355,193 $377

Send comments to: hjw2001@gmail.com