Why Seniors Are Saying YES
With the override budget passing at Town Meeting on May 19th, some residents were asking, “Why did so many seniors vote yes at Town Meeting?”
For context: We have just under 5000 seniors living in Easton with about 3000 households paying property taxes by those seniors with either a single senior owning a home or a married couple owning a home (about 1000 single homeowner seniors and 2000 married homeowner seniors or 1000 households of married couples). The remaining seniors (about 1000 seniors) live either in family residences (with younger generations), multi-family residences that they do not own (apartments, condos, etc), or senior residences (i.e., like those who live in apartments from the Easton Housing Authority, The Residence, Zen Senior Living, or Village Rest).
With that being said, here's a few reasons why it would make sense for seniors to support this override:
Renter Impact vs Service Impact
About 33% of the Senior population in Easton does not pay property taxes directly, so they care more about the loss of services than they do the increase in taxes. While they are likely affected by cost increases associated with any override, renter impact is usually slower and to a lesser degree because they do not have the direct tax increase, which potentially lessens their concern over the cost increase.
Additional Taxation Aid for Seniors comes with a YES on the Override
Article 3 was added to the town budget explicitly to support our seniors, veterans, and disabled townspeople. The override increases our taxation aid substantially, and that taxation aid predominantly supports Seniors. This also likely lessens the concern for some Seniors who are willing to apply for aid and qualify for it.
Fire and EMS Cuts Hurt Seniors the Most
Seniors are disproportionately harmed by the cuts in the Fire/EMS department. As the Fire Chief noted yesterday, we're coming into this budget decision "like a four-legged chair that has only has three legs"; losing additional staffing and resources means that the second ambulance which has gotten 108% busier in the last decade will be unable to be staffed at times (exact amount uncertain, but it would definitely be a meaningful amount of time). That results in longer response times to get EMS to a Senior who might be in severe medical distress (on top of the fact that we do not have a major medical facility in town); mutual aid requests are always an option but take significantly longer to arrive on scene than Easton EMS would.
Pride in Supporting Easton
Many seniors want to support the town they are proud of. I personally know quite a few seniors who support the override because they feel like their lives were made better by living in Easton, raised children who went to Easton schools, have grandchildren who are attending Easton schools, started or actively run businesses here in Easton, or just want to make sure that the town they love has the funding it deserves.
The Override is Affordable to Most Seniors
Some seniors can just afford it and understand that the financial equation of 2.5% increases in revenue with 10%+ increases in cost don't add up. I realize that the "affording it" portion of the equation may be difficult for some, but for some of the seniors in town, it isn't. Even for those who do feel like the "affording it" portion may be tough, some are just willing to make it work; as one of the community speakers at the Town Meeting noted, "So I cut out a steak dinner once a month and go get something cheaper instead" (paraphrasing).
Seniors Affected by Cuts in Town Activities
Some Seniors are still actively engaged in volunteering with the Town, employed in the Senior tax-assistance program, and/or employed by the Easton Public Schools. Many of these seniors would be negatively affected by the cuts happening if the override does not happen.
