BY DERRICK PERKINSTo keep a promise made to voters last March, Salem selectmen will dip deeper into the town’s unreserved balance rather than raise taxes in December. But higher town taxes will be unavoidable in 2010. The decision came Oct. 19 after Town Manager Jonathan Sistare presented options to the board: use reserves to maintain a ...

BY DERRICK PERKINSLooking between a projected budget shortfall of nearly $400,000 and hopes of keeping the tax rate flat this year, at least one selectman is keeping the possibility of layoffs on the table. Gov. John Lynch may have backed away from a budget proposal that would have cut state funding to Salem by as much as $1.7 million, but ...

BY DERRICK PERKINSFor school officials and union representatives it may be back to the drawing board after voters rejected every collective bargaining agreement that affected the tax rate at the ballot box. Voters turned down proposed raises for the district’s teachers, aides, nurses, secretaries and custodians on last week’s ballot. ...

BY DERRICK PERKINS A 19-cent jump in the Massachusetts gas tax has local gas station owners hoping to see a rise in customers from across the border, though the talk of taxes has left motorists steaming at the pumps. Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick unveiled the increase to the state’s gas tax on Jan. 20 as part of a plan to ...

BY DARRELL HALEN Selectmen told a group of local legislators that proposed cuts in state aid and retirement contributions would lead to an increase in the local property tax rate. During a Wednesday, Feb. 18, meeting at Town Hall, selectmen said a loss of roughly $1.7 million from the state, as proposed in Gov. John Lynch’s new ...

BY DERRICK PERKINSShoppers reacted with a mix of anger and disbelief to a court dispute between Massachusetts and a Connecticut-based retailer that might result in a 5 percent sales tax for Bay State residents making purchases in New Hampshire. On a quiet afternoon inside the Mall at Rockingham Park, consumers – many from across the state ...

BY DERRICK PERKINS State and local officials spoke out against the possibility of a new toll plaza on Interstate 93 by the Massachusetts border with one town selectman calling the measure “ill conceived.” “I understand the state’s revenue is down because of the economic times. We’re having the same problem ...

BY MATT SCHOOLEY Bow town officials will open construction bids for a potential water and sewer project, but only for research purposes before they make a decision on whether to proceed. During a Wednesday, Nov. 5, selectmen’s meeting, board members unanimously approved Jack Crisp’s motion to seek bids for the potential ...

BY DERRICK PERKINS While selectmen are considering pursuing a plan to allow residents to pay their tax bills and other town fees with credit or debit cards online, that convenience could come with a hefty fee. “People think they can just go online and do these things, but you have to download a file, upload a file, and do a ...

BY JENN McDOWELL The town will likely not have to draw upon a line of credit the Board of Selectmen authorized in anticipation of an end-of-year funding shortage. “‘I’m 99 percent sure that we’re not going to need to borrow at this point in time,” said finance director Jane Savastano. “We were ...