|
The PILOT commission is not investigating ways to force the various social service agencies out of Framingham, but rather determining their impact on the town and, if necessary, asking them to make payment in lieu of taxes. This is good, because social services are a sad necessity of life, and we cannot in good conscience make them go away. But we can ask them to pay their fair share -- or at least part of it, since recent history suggests that social service facilities use more town services, such as police, than other homes and businesses. All social service providers in Framingham claim they want to be good neighbors to the town, and this is their opportunity to put their money -- or their good faith efforts -- where their mouth is.
One thing the town has learned over the past eight months is that Framingham has more than its share of social services -- we rank tenth in the state by number and 12th per capita, well ahead of comparable areas like Boston, Worcester, Cambridge, Lynn, and Springfield -- and that the town has had enough. In June, the town voted overwhelmingly for a moratorium on new social service facilities until the PILOT commission's recommendation were voted on. Sadly, the social service industry ignored this and have not been as cooperative to the PILOT commission as they could be. We call on the social service industry to fully cooperate with the PILOT commission and recognize that they do harm as well as good.
The concentration of social service facilities in Framingham has had several negative effects on the town, including contributing to the town's multimillion dollar deficit, impeding the revitalization of downtown, and inhibiting the growth of the town's property values. We call on the town to renew this effort to institute a moratorium on new social service facilities until such time as other towns in the area have concentrations of social services equal to Framingham.
After an almost tenfold growth in the number of properties owned by social service agencies in Framingham since 1990, the town has reached a tipping point. As in a stressed ecosystem, a small change can make a large difference. It is our sincere hope that the PILOT commission's work will be a change in a positive direction for Framingham.
We, the citizens of Framingham, thank you for your efforts.
To contact the PILOT committee and offer testimony or thanks, write to:
PILOT Committee
150 Concord Street
Framingham, MA 01702
Have a comment, correction, or suggestion? Write to the webmaster!
