4 ms·
I think this is fantastic. Boston desperately needs more housing. Let's get some increased funding for the T as well while we are at it.
by MildRant 3y ago
I think this is fantastic. Boston desperately needs more housing. Let's get some increased funding for the T as well while we are at it.
- crmd 3y agoProperty tax represents 72% of Boston's municipal revenue[0], and this initiative provides a property tax reduction of up to 75% for up to 29 years, so unfortunately this initiative will not help with T funding. [0]https://data.boston.gov/dataset/revenue-budget https://data.boston.gov/dataset/revenue-budget
- gbear605 3y agoIf it allows more people to move into the city and start working, that’s more income taxes that can go towards funding the T. Much of the T’s is at the state level anyway.
- ghaff 3y agoAlthough a lot of the the people who come into the city occasionally to work have no interest in actually living in the city.
- mkoubaa 3y agoI like to think that in a representative democracy, money finds its way to projects that the public find important
- cowsandmilk 3y agoSince the MBTA is a state agency primarily funded by sales tax, Boston’s budget is highly irrelevant to its funding. https://cdn.mbta.com/sites/default/files/2023-06/FY24%20Itemized%20Budget.pdf https://cdn.mbta.com/sites/default/files/2023-06/FY24%20Item...
- natdempk 3y agoI will probably get sniped by someone who actually knows what they're talking about (please correct me if I'm wrong :D), but my impression of the T issues is less a funding issue, and more a competency/corruption issue. We're building above-ground rail at underground rail prices for one example problem.
- ezfe 3y agoIt's certainly a mix of both, but the T has been underfunding maintenance and repair work in favor of the big capital projects that are demanded of it. That is a funding issue, even if there are many more issues to add to that.
- ke88y 3y agoI toured a piece of property at the border of Charlestown and Somerville near a big T stop. There was an empty lot next to the tracks that was owned by the MBTA on paper. But de facto, the neighbor and was clearly using the entire massive lot as an extended back yard (they even had a garden shed and paved parking on the MBTA owned lot). Looked up the property records. Either a HIGHLY coincidental name clash, or there's a recently retired T exec who has been using MBTA land as an extended back yard and off-street parking area. That's the moment I gave up on Boston and the T, tbh. It's a small thing that doesn't really matter, but so ridiculously brazen and public and personal. If that sort of thing is what happens out in the open, can you imagine how many tens/hundreds of millions of taxpayer money is being funneled between friends and cousins via MBTA?
- worthless-trash 3y agoWhat is T ? google isnt helping.
- scld 3y agoThe T is the nickname for Boston's MBTA (Train/bus)....The logo is a big "T".
- kdmccormick 3y agoMBTA -- Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. The public transit agency in Boston. Their logo is an iconic black "T" so that's what everyone here calls the subway.
- gnulinux 3y agoBoston people call public transportation "T". It's an abbreviation of "MBTA" which stands for "Massachusetts Bay Transport Authority".
- gnulinux 3y agoBoston housing/rent is extraordinarily expensive. It's up there with SF, Manhattan, certain areas are even more expensive them. It's absolutely ridiculous. My girlfriend is from NYC and we both love the city, and visit it frequently. To our great astonishment Boston is oftentimes more expensive than NYC while being a fraction of the size. American big cities really can be enigmatic.