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Then you don't have to worry about the increase in property tax at all and should definitely vote for this because it'll be great for the city.

Sorry was looking at this:

https://localtoday.news/ma/massachusetts-ballot-question-5-added-medicare-for-all-to-20-house-districts-55240.html

Deleting my initial comment to reduce confusion.

Sorry thought it was this question 5

https://localtoday.news/ma/massachusetts-ballot-question-5-added-medicare-for-all-to-20-house-districts-55240.html

You’d be surprised. That’s a lot of money, and enough fentanyl to kill a entire town.

Mhmm mhmm. What if you can't afford a home and won't be able to for another 15 years of saving

“Any lawyers want to explain the legality of this”? That made me laugh.

Well, I’m not a lawyer, but the prosecution would destroy any motions to dismiss the case on the grounds of a fourth amendment violations. The firefighters had a duty to make sure nobody else was in that building that could be harmed. They could’ve just overlooked the fact there was enough fentanyl in that apartment to kill thousands of people - and not call police, but a firefighter is most likely not going to keep their mouths shut given they save lives daily. Kind of counterproductive.

I worked for both Spectrum and Comcast in Massachusetts.

A little peak behind the curtain:

Calling and saying you are going to cancel does nothing. We send you to the retention department ("Customer Solutions" at Comcast) and they have access to the same exact promos as any other rep, they are just really, really skilled at selling you stuff. It'll make your call longer and there's nothing they'll do that a normal rep can't do.

"Promo pricing" is selling a bundle for less than what the company wants to charge. If you have your services bundled, it's no hassle for them to just re-up you for a promo price if you call in. But note, when the promo ends, that's what the company wants you to pay. So they bank on you either forgetting that the price changed or you are non-confrontational.

If your services are ala carte, the company usually never offers a promo beyond the first one that they offered to get you to sign up. This is where most folks get fucked and where you get strong-armed. But honestly, bundling doesn't save you money if it adds a bunch of stuff you don't use. You're better off staying ala carte at the higher price.

If a rep tells you that they can't put you in a new promo price, it's either because you're not bundled, or they are an asshole and don't want to do their job. If they are in category B, go ahead and ask for retention/threaten to disconnect.

But word to the wise, folks. People working in cable company call centers are fucking burnt out. We get abused all day. People tell you you are a giant piece of shit all day, or they tell you to kill yourself. Even the most battle-hardened folks can only take that for so long before it starts to eat away your soul.

Be kind. We're already dead inside. Being nice makes me want to go out of my way to help you. Being an asshole makes me want to let you piss in the wind. We don't like the cable company, either. Yes, we know they suck. But as a human, I feel better about working for a monstrosity if what I've done actually made a difference for someone.

Also, for fucksake, lobby for another provider in Worcester County. The rest of the state is hooked up to fiber optic and most of Worcester is still running on coax or hybrid. I was selling gigabit internet (that was actually gigabit) to people in Middlesex in 2017. Spectrum has 0 motivation to upgrade Worcester and they told me as much to my face.

I talked to a person who was canvassing about this. They said "pretty much homeowners pay about $40/year through taxes. Those funds go to green space and other environmental community initiatives"

It's actually a better deal than that: the statewide Community Preservation Trust Fund that was created when the bill was signed into law in 2000 is funded both by property taxes from participating communities and a surcharge on every real estate transaction in the state. The real estate surcharges add up to about $60 million a year, and if there's a state budget surplus (like the one we have now), that money can also be added to the fund. We've essentially been leaving free money on the table for over twenty years because we would have gotten the money we raised via taxes plus a share of the money raised by the state. Here's a map of the towns/cities that have already adopted it: map

That's not what Question 5 is about. https://www.cpaworcester.org/

It's not an energy tax.

>With this CPA proposal, the Yes for a Better Worcester is putting forward a 1.5% surcharge on local property tax bills. Each dollar raised in Worcester through the CPA will receive a match from the state’s CPA Trust Fund, disbursed each November by the Department of Revenue.
>
>Worcester residents, through Registry fees, are already paying into this statewide CPA Trust Fund. The CPA Trust Fund money is generated by fees charged on documents filed at the Registries of Deeds ($50 and $25 as of December 31, 2019). The November 2021 base match for communities was 39.4% of what they raised at the local level – a new record-high distribution of $79 million to CPA communities.
>
>Worcester’s CPA proposal will include the following exemptions:-
>
>
>
>- First $100,000 of residential property value
>
>- First $100,000 of commercial & industrial property value
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>- Low-income individuals & families
>
>- Low- to moderate-income seniors
>
>https://www.cpaworcester.org/yes-for-a-better-worcester

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You're talking about question 2. Question 5 is concerning the CPA.

The Cleghorn neighborhood in Fitchburg.

sources:

https://www.communitypreservation.org/about

https://www.communitypreservation.org/funding

take the assessed value of your house, subtract $100K from it, and calculate what the property tax would be on that reduced value. pay 1.5% of that number into a special state fund, from which Worcester can withdraw as much as its residents pay in and use it to improve parks, recreational spaces, and affordable housing.

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Yeah, that one caught me off guard too. Basically no information there and a quick google didn't turn up anything. Kind of hard to vote for an energy tax during an energy crunch when they can't even tell you where the fee will be implemented.

Lot of times it depends on the rep you grt on the phone..some are amazing and will help you as much as they can and some just don't give a fuck and have no desire to help. So sometimes it helps to call again and get someone different

I called this morning around 9:30. I am male and spoke with female rep.

I usually ask for the promo first. Then if they deny ask again and then say x company has this price why shouldn't I sign with them?

Each is the worst in their own special little way

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Right. You’re probably fine just asking for the discount. But like the other comment said, he didn’t get it. So it you might have a better chance telling them you’re leaving. They might care more if they’re going to lose a customer.