– News and commentary from Quincy Quarry News.

I miss Boston Harbor booze cruises
Quincy Quarry News staff member mug shot

Quincy Quarry Weekly Fish Wrap: rotten fish happen after seven days!

After taking off for a mostly liquid Memorial Day week long break, the Weekly Fish Wrap is back.

That and the Quincy Quarry News World Headquarters has undergone a deep cleaning because the new intern failed to throw out last week’s fish.

That and the intern is now looking for a new gig.

In any event, it’s been yet another rough week.

A wicked ugly week.

For example, COVID-19 deaths keep piling up and yet there are no obvious signs of burials in Quincy.

Same ofd same old, different day
A YouTube still image

Even so, Quincy Mayor Koch continues to provide most weekdays via YouTube tap dancing bromides about Coronavirus pandemic finally showing signs of abating while at the same failing to acknowledge the fact that Quincy has been hit much harder than many other communities per a proper per 100,000 death rate measurement.

And speaking of death, while Black lives matter to thousands of Quincy residents and others who civilly attended a recent peaceful vigil over the recent alleged murder of George Floyd at the knee of a Minneapolis police officer, Quincy Mayor Thomas P. Koch was nowhere to be seen at the vigil along the side the event organizers, a number of local clerics, and the many thousands of mostly white outraged vigil attendees.

Vigil attendees turn their backs to City Hall
A Quincy Quarry News exclusive photo

Then again, he is easy to lose in a crowd even if he is not one to miss out on a photo op.

In any event, Mayor Koch rolled out a sizeable show of force around vigil attendees, including not only a considerable number Quincy police officers in both plain clothes as well as wicked easy to make plain clothes along with a number of Quincy Police Department K-9’s, but also a number of Braintree, MBTA, Milton and Weymouth police officers, Norfolk County Sheriff’s Office deputies, and National Guard troops.

“Slipping” out the back Thomasina?
A Gracie Films image

Quincy’s peerless mayor, however, apparently “slipped” away to an undisclosed and surely secure location even as Quincy City Council members spoke at the event even if the sole African American on the City Council appears to have yet again been absent.

Instead, Quincy’s peerless mayor followed up with yet another of his carefully scripted insipid YouTube videos the day after the vigil went peacefully and as was only to be expected by its variously known and respected local organizers.

Still ducking a close shave by Rob Hall?
An old Facebook selfie

In short, no Profile in Courage by Quincy’s peerless mayor even if his favorite nun the even more diminutive Sister Olga attended the vigil.

Then again, maybe he is practicing for his holing up in the safe room inside of City Hall next fall when he has to acknowledge to local taxpayers just how ugly will be the increase on local property taxpayers’ 2021 property tax bills.

The mayor has proposed a roughly $10 million spending increase for Fiscal Year 2021, a roughly 3.4% from the current budget and thus yet again greater than inflation spending increase at a time when various important tax revenue streams are widely expected to crater.

Tax revenues expected to crater
A barrons.com graphic

Additionally, Quincy Quarry further estimates upwards of as much as another $10 million hit upon local property taxpayers given expected revenue declines in state aid; local excise tax revenue, hotel, motel and meals tax revenue; a likely multi million dollar default on a transfer payment due the city from foundering Quincy College; accounting for various other payments not made that will have to be made later, including millions in delayed pay raises given impending new union employee contracts.

Tax collector Herr Doberman & his K9 assistant
A meme

In turn, the net of these shortfalls will have to be covered later one way or other via local tax increases and/cuts in local services as the City Quincy’s Stabilization Fund is, well, a joch as compared to recommended best practices.

Granted, New Development tax revenue will mitigate the pain and city reserves can further mitigate the hit to taxpayers; however, Quincy Quarry’s projected $20 million or thereabouts net pop to the annual budget nut will likely require yet another property tax increase for local property owners to cover an over a third of billion dollar nut.

What happens to tax dollars in the Q?
A cheatsheet.com image

But what the hay, a free spending mayor needs to tax so he that can spend!

In turn, figure on around a $25 increase on the average homeowners’ tax bill for each and every million of the estimated $20 million that has to be covered at the start of 2021 if various tax-based funds fail short.

No, make that as only can be expected by long-suffering local taxpayers.

That and when property tax increases hit the fan as expected come the New Year, count on concurrent dubious claims from Quincy’s peerless mayor that the property tax increases are all the pandemic’s fault even as he failed to make any real cuts in spending for the fast approaching new fiscal year in spite of his knowing that considerable revenue shortfalls are likely.

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