I notice they never give it back.
Related: Boston's Budget
The city of Boston recently closed the books on the fiscal year that ended June 30 with a little cushion: a surplus of $9.1 million.
In a city that spent $2.3 billion last year, the extra money is not a windfall that will restore cuts in the coming year. The surplus represents less than half a percent of the city budget. For the average household in a city with a median income of $52,000, it is the equivalent of discovering an extra $208, a nice find, but not enough to pay the mortgage or fix the roof.
Yeah, you wouldn't want it back, taxpayers.
The extra money came from higher-than-anticipated revenues, which was a good thing, because the city also spent more money than it had budgeted, said Samuel R. Tyler, president of the Boston Municipal Research Bureau. The surplus will be desperately needed next year, when large chucks of federal stimulus money expire and state cuts are expected to be deeper.
I'm sick of the CITY (or state) SHELL GAMES, aren't you?
And of the PRO-TAX, PRO-GOVERNMENT MEDIA!
“It’s going to be a rough year, so this will be welcome additional revenue,’’ Tyler said, whose business-funded city watchdog agency highlighted the surplus in its monthly newsletter. “It reinforces the fact that Boston is conservative in its budgeting, particularly on the revenue side.’’
I have been told we have been in recovery for over a year and that Massachusetts did better than the rest of the nation so WTF?
The previous year, Boston finished with an extra $4.1 million. The two years before that, the city finished even further in the black, with surpluses of $15.8 million and $15.2 million.
And they always kept it, huh? Now you see why I don't want to give it to them.
The unanticipated revenue goes into the city’s reserves, which must be certified by the state before it can be used to plug a hole in the budget.
This year the city spending plan relies on $45 million from reserves, which is often called the rain day fund.
Yeah, they SIT ON IT as SCHOOLS are SHUTTERED over there!
I'd say it is POURING OUT, Bostonians!
“This is a very small surplus compared to other years,’’ said Dot Joyce, spokeswoman for Mayor Thomas M. Menino. “Because it’s not recurring revenue, it cannot be used to increase services. It may be used to support services in these difficult economic times.’’
$9 million doesn't seem small to me, but....
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Do with it what you will, Boston. It's your city, not mine
