Brentwood candidates split on citizen tax-cap petition; legal wording and fund-balance questions raised

A citizen petition to adopt a local tax cap (referred to in the forum as Article 11) drew extended discussion at a Brentwood candidate forum held at the Mary Bartlett Library. The petition would implement a local cap mechanism based on statutory provisions and an inflation index; voters will decide town meeting adoption on March 15.

Why it matters: If adopted, the tax-cap provision would limit how much the town’s tax commitment can rise year to year based on the previous year’s tax commitment adjusted for inflation and population change. Candidates and officials said the measure would change budget planning and could be bypassed by warrant articles in special circumstances, but they differed on whether it should be adopted by petition.

What the petition says and how it would work

A participant reading the petition said it would “implement a tax cap whereby the governing body of Brentwood budget committee shall not submit a recommended budget or increases the amount to be raised by local taxes ... higher than the prior year’s actual amount of local taxes raised ... adjusted for inflation using an inflation…