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Image via the Massachusetts Department of Revenue
— Quincy Massachusetts News by Quincy Quarry News – News, Opinion and Commentary.
Minions in inaction
A Universal Pictures mage
This past Monday’s Quincy City Council meeting of mostly lame duck city councillors was the first time ever that the usual single meeting approval of what needs to be done to approve property tax rates is going to be done over at least two city council meetings.
Reasons include that the Koch Maladministration has yet to score necessary Department of Revenue approvals of various accounting of the city’s books.
Accordingly, the only things addressed at Monday’s meeting were the mundane continuation of how property taxes are to be allocated and imposed upon property owners. In brief, commercial sorts of property face a 75% premium tax rate per $1,000 of assessed value than do residential property.
Calculating taxes
A file photo
Discussion of the tax rates per $1,000 of assessed value, however, determining tax rates are apparently not yet determined and perhaps may not be certified by the Department of Revenue’s Division of Local Services.
The rub?
The Koch Maladministration did not budget for a roughly $3 million increase in school department payroll given a new union contract with teachers nor a $16 million pension fund assessment levied by the Massachusetts Public Employee Retirement Administration Commission as the city’s pension fund is both not hitting plan on its needed rate of return to cover it actual pension obligations as well as a cost of living of living increase to pension payouts is not unfunded.
You wanna piece of me?
A file photo
Quincy Mayor Thomas Koch, on the other hand, has taken a defiant stand that the PERAC assessment need not be paid even though the city’s pension fund is unfunded, however, applicable state law not only mandates that assessment be funded but also that that the Divisions of Local Services will not certified Quincy’s 2026 tax rates if the assessment is not duly funded via the CY 2026 property tax levy.
Net/net, funding $19 million in total in spending obligations not duly in the mayor’s approved FY 2026 budget will see koched-up city spending up by $59 million from FY 2025 spending — a new record spending dollar increase going away — as well as a roughly 12.4% also record breaking spending increase on a percentage basis.
Follow the money. ALWAYS FOLLOW THE MONEY!!!
An oxycom.com image
In turn, to cover the $59 million increase in FY 2026 city spending obligations duly funded, the quants on the Quincy Financial and Other Affairs Desk are projecting a just under 10% to leaning on 12% increase in property taxes as likely.
In response to limp questioning by city councillors Koch Administration spokesmodel Pinocchio Walkbacker posed a particulars-free statement that discussions about a plan were in the works and the council should expect to be able to approve CY 2026 property tax rates at next Monday’s city council meeting.
In short, do not hold your breath about anything other then ugly property tax increases hitting the fan in 2026 on the order of as noted above.
Shooting rubber-stamping lame ducks in a barrel
An istock image
At the same time, there is some good news.
The lame duck city council president was a bit less snippy than usual as well as that they council appeared to agree to continue the allowance of public comment at next week’s meeting once actual tax rates for 2026 might actually be in place and so known.
After all, someone pointing out during public comment time at this past Monday’s council that to not also allow public comment at next week’s meeting posed a likelihood that not allowing public comment could well be an Open Meeting Law violation and which would only make an already koched-up mess into an even greater koched-up mess.
Angry locals
An old Universal Pictures image
Needless to say, next Monday’s city council meeting will surely prove to be interesting.
Accordingly, Quincy Quarry’s ever-growing legions of loyal readers can count on the Quarry to wade through blood if need be to report on next Mondays’ council meeting.
