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Watch out for black ice — especially north of the city — this morning, after last night’s low temperatures and rain. There’s more stormy weather in the forecast tomorrow. But first, the news:
On Beacon Hill: Boston’s months-long effort to temporarily increase commercial property tax rates to prevent a tax spike for homeowners appears to be officially dead. For a third time yesterday, state Sen. Nick Collins blocked a vote in the Senate on the home rule petition. And in a statement last night, Senate President Karen Spilka announced the chamber won’t pass it. “I have heard clearly that there currently is not sufficient support for this proposal,” she said.
- Why? Spilka cited new property value data released last week that projects a 10.4% tax hike next year for Boston homeowners. That’s down from the 14% “worst case scenario” the city projected in October. State Sen. Will Brownsberger, the Senate’s No. 3 Democrat and a former supporter of the bill, said that he and other colleagues no longer felt the “relatively modest” 10.4% hike justified the temporary tweak to the tax code. “Massachusetts has a long-standing framework of limits on local property taxation, and we shouldn’t lightly alter that framework,” he said.
- How modest is “relatively modest”? For the owner of the average single-family home in Boston (valued at $838,000), a 10.4% hike on last year’s $5,522 property tax bill shakes out to about $573, according to Wu’s office. (Under the latest projections, Wu’s proposal would have limited that increase to $289.)
- What’s the other side saying? Supporters of Wu’s bill — which ranged from the Mass Senior Action Council to Boston’s police union — are not happy with the Senate. “Any time that residents in my membership are getting a tax increase while big business is going to get a tax decrease and continue earning monies, that’s a problem,” Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association President Larry Calderone said yesterday. (Read more reactions here.)
- What’s next? Boston officials have said 2025 property tax rates must be set by the City Council’s meeting tomorrow.
In related news: A Boston nonprofit is capitalizing on those declining commercial property values to do something big: buy an empty downtown office building. As WBUR’s Dan Guzman reports, the anti-homelessness organization Breaktime spent more than $6 million to buy a five story building at 63 Franklin St. in Downtown Crossing. “We found that it was actually a lot more economical to purchase than to rent, given how precipitously building prices have dropped right here in the downtown,” said Breaktime co-founder Connor Schoen.
- What are they doing with all that space? Breaktime helps young adults experiencing homelessness train for and obtain jobs. According to Schoen, the group had outgrown their office in Boston’s West End. But the new building won’t just be for offices. Their plans include a first-floor retail enterprise where the people they serve could work, a second-floor health care clinic and other wraparound services like laundry and showers. “In a rented space, it was impossible to make those investments,” Schoen said.
Seeking shelter: A new two-track system for placing families in the state’s emergency shelter system takes effect today, as part of Gov. Maura Healey’s administration’s efforts to lower costs and move families into permanent housing. Officials say the new rules will distinguish between families “according to their risk and need.”
- Families with “more complex needs” — such as pregnant women or those with disabilities — will be placed on the “Bridge Shelter Track,” allowing them to stay in shelters for up to six months.
- Meanwhile, everyone else will be funneled onto the “Rapid Shelter Track.” That means they can stay for up to 30 days at a “temporary respite shelter,” rather than the long-term shelter system. They’ll also be offered “intensive support” to finding housing, jobs and English classes.
It’s Election Day (again) in Methuen. The city is holding a special mayoral election today after Mayor Neil Perry died from health issues in September. The contest is between Acting Mayor DJ Beauregard, a Methuen city councilor and 35-year-old Democrat, and Jim Sarcione, a 62-year-old political newcomer and Republican businessman. The winner will serve out the rest of Perry’s term through 2025.
P.S.— The immersive outdoor art installation “SOLSTICE” has returned to Mount Auburn Cemetery — and you can win tickets for yourself and a guest if you sign up for our arts and culture newsletter by this Thursday, Dec. 12. (Don’t worry current subscribers; anyone on the list by that day will have a chance to win!) Sign up here.