Holbrook, Chelmsford, and Harvard have rejected tax hikes, while Randolph gave it the go-ahead, the Globe’s reporting today.

From the article:

Roughly 50 towns and cities may ask their voters to approve Proposition 2 1/2 tax increases this year.

I’m curious: which ones?

Also from the article:

In Holbrook, School Committee chairman James Hathaway said the defeat of a $2.8 million override, mostly for schools, would cause the elimination of varsity sports and crushing cuts to staffing levels.

…

“Cities and towns are facing very large budget gaps, the same as the state. But they have fewer tools to deal with them than the state does. They basically have property taxes and fees.”

Which is, to my understanding, Proposition 2 1/2.

In Chelmsford:

The override’s failure, school officials said, will force the closing of an elementary school, among other cuts.

And to think that there was a 16 year gap between the two override votes. With a median income of 70,000 — with the national median at 48,000 — and a population of some 33,000, only 2% below the poverty line, they didn’t want to push for a tax hike? Is there some chart tracking property values or mortgage payments that pushes the override beyond the reasonable means of a home owner? Or did they just not feel like it?