BOS-Archive_letter 12-0-08

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COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS
MASSACHUSETTS SENATE
STATE HOUSE, BOSTON 0213 3-1 0 53
SENATOR BRIAN A. JOYCE
ROOM 4l3A, STATE HOUSE
TEL. (617) 722-1643
FAx (617) 722-1522
RES. (617) 696-0200
E-Mail: Brian.A.Joyce~state.ma,us
COMMITTEES.
TOURISM, ARTS AND CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT (CHAIR)
BONDING, CAPITAL EXPENDITURES & STATE ASSETS (VICE CHAIR)
REVENUE (V ICE CHAIR)
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT & SMALL BUSINESS (VICE CHAIR)
SENATE WAYS AND MEANS
CONSUMER PROTECTION & PROFESSIONAL LICENSURE
PUBLIC SERVICE
CAUCUSES:
April 30, 2007
Dear Canton Resident:
CHILDREN'S LEGISLATIVE CAUCUS
BIOTECHNOLOGY CAUCUS
LEGISLATIVE CAUCUS ON OLDER CITIZEN'S CONCERNS
M. W.R.A. LEGISLATIVE CAUCUS
I hope this letter fmds you in good health and spirits. The spring is finally here accompanied by the start of
anew legislation session and I have been busy crafting budget and legislative priorities for the upcoming
year.
To begin, Representative Galvin and I recently voted to pass a budget blueprint that includes a $235 million
increase in local aid. For the Town of Canton, this means a 13.2 percent increase in education funding for
fiscal year 2008. This is a significant state commitment given that revenues are expected to grow by only
three percent in fiscal year 2008.
I understand the economic challenges facing the Town of Canton and recognize that growing municipal
fmancial obligations have been difficult to maintain. We are examining a number of ways to close the
state's growing deficit and I will continue to update you on the budget process and revenue initiatives that
affect the town.
Representative Galvin and I are also working with your Board of Selectmen to protect Canton's interests in
light of the proposed housing and commercial project in the Town of Westwood - on the Canton border.
We hosted a public meeting for Canton residents in late March and have been meeting with state and local
officials to ensure that Canton's voice is heard in the permitting process for this huge project, and to the
greatest extent possible, to protect the quality of life in Canton's adjacent neighborhoods.
January 2007 was also the start of a new two-year legislative cycle where I filed a number of bills that may
be of interest to you. These include:
An Act Relative to Property Tax Rebates for Senior Citizens which reaffirms my commitment to seniors
by introducing legislation that will provide cities and towns with the option to rebate up to $750 in property
tax payments for all eligible seniors.
To be eligible for my tax rebate and for the circuit breaker tax credit, seniors must own a property assessed
at less than $684,000 and must have an annual income of $46,000 or less for a single filer; $58,000 or less
for a head of household; and $70,000 or less for joint filers.
An Act Creating a Program for Homeownership of Massachusetts Educated Students (H.O.M.E.S.).
Under this bill recent Massachusetts college or university graduates would be eligible for $10,000 towards
the purchase of their first home in the Commonwealth.