Library Override Signs are Correct

There's a large number of irate taxpayers in Shrewsbury who are wondering why the Town is having a second vote on an issue that was already decided two years ago.  In 2011 voters said no to a proposal to tear down a sound library building and replace it with an oversized and overpriced building.  The 2013 proposal offers a slightly smaller building, but the $23M price is so much higher than 2011 as to be ridiculous.   Not Surprisingly, yard signs have appeared all over town urging a NO vote.  Supporters of the library proposal say the signs are misleading.  They say the word override means permanent tax increase and therefore the signs should be ignored and the people should vote yes.  In truth, the supporters wish there were no signs at all and picking on the wording is the best argument they can come up with. As a technical matter, Prop 2 1/2 controls the tax levy rate.  With a public vote, taxpayers can agree to override that rate.  The library proposal would increase taxes beyond the maximum rate allowed by law, it would override the tax rate.  There are two kinds of override, temporary and permanent.  The temporary kind is also known as a debt exclusion, but it is in fact an override of the tax rate.  Use of the word override to describe any tax rate increase over the allowed rate is both correct and appropriate.  Library supporters are quick to point out that the tax increase will be temporary.  However the word temporary implies short term.  By law, these temporary tax increases last for 20 years.  Saying the tax will be temporary without saying it will last for 20 years is both disingenuous and misleading.  So in reality it is the supporters who are confusing the public.    

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