Town Officials Warn of Disastrous Cuts from Proposed Proposition 2 1/2-August 20, 1980

Meeting in a special session, local leaders conceded that while the tax-limitation measure enjoys a strong chance of voter approval, its enactment would spell severe administrative hardship.

“Norwood’s budget would be cut by at least $3 million. People don’t know what that means,” warned Town Manager John J. Carroll. Assessor Chairman James Drummey emphasized the necessity of public outreach: “There is an education program to be done. People should know the pros and cons before the November election.” Proposition 2 1/2 would cap property taxes at 2.5 percent of fair market value, strip away school committee autonomy, and eliminate public sector collective bargaining while subjecting every municipal department to deep cutbacks with no exemptions.

During their evening session, the Board of Selectmen agreed to collaborate with the assessors and the school department to compile and distribute data detailing the local impact of the proposed cuts, though they stopped short of taking an official organizational stance. Selectmen Chairman William J. Plasko remarked, “Let the people vote. We’ll have to deal with it. But at least we will be in a position of being able to say we told you so,” noting that the strict cap would choke reasonable municipal growth and force the elimination of vital public services.

In other municipal business during the meeting, selectmen took the following actions:

• Appointed Frank Rodak of Union Street as the town’s new full-time dog officer.
• Denied a request from the town’s rubbish contractor for a 16 percent rate increase in the second year of their contract, acting on the advice of town counsel.
• Continued a police union grievance hearing regarding special-duty traffic detail pay for two weeks.
• Referred Airport Commission Chairman Walter J. Grady to $11,000 in unallocated funds discovered within the commission’s existing budget after denying a $3,000 transfer request for taxiway repairs.
• Commended seven police officers and a civilian dispatcher for their heroic efforts during the pursuit and apprehension of three suspects involved in an August 4 coin shop robbery.

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger