Pay Less, Vote YES! 4/2 Suburban Shopper Ad

The Vote Yes Campaign placed the below ads in the 4/2 Suburban Shopper. For more details and sources behind the content included in this ad, please read on!

1.  HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE BALLOT QUESTION

   • Stoughton taxpayers are being asked whether or not they will support a debt exclusion for a new elementary school.

   • The project cost that taxpayers will be responsible for is $65.2M (before add'l funding sources)**

   • A debt exclusion allows the town flexibility so annual town budget expenses & other local services we all rely on won’t be cut. 

   • MSBA has awarded Stoughton more than $47 million toward this project. We lose $47M if we vote no.

On April 24, 2024, MSBA voted to approve a maximum grant amount of $47,930,405 dedicated to Stoughton’s elementary school project (see 4/24/24 MSBA minutes and vote).  Under M.G.L. c. 10, §35BB MSBA school facilities grants are by funded by 1% of each sales tax collected, assigned directly to MSBA, separate from the Commonwealth’s general fund and without any additional appropriation from the legislature.   (see MSBA enabling legislation and “About Us” page).    In FY2024, MSBA received over $1.2 billion from the sales tax, an increase of $117 million from FY2023, and which MSBA anticipates will increase an addition $68 million in FY2025 (See MSBA FY2024 Financial Statement and MSBA 2024 Annual Report).

MSBA’s April 2024 approval of Stoughton’s project and funding authorized the MSBA director to enter into a Project Scope and Funding Agreement, securing the amount and the terms of Stoughton’s facilities grant under contract.  (See Project Scope and Funding Agreement).  This is similar to the Feasibility Study Agreement MSBA entered into with Stoughton which funded a portion of the Feasibility Study (see Feasibility Study Agreement).

MSBA has granted Stoughton an extension of time through the April 30, 2025 to secure local funding of the Town’s portion of the project cost.  The terms of this extension provide that, if the April 8, 2025 ballot question is unsuccessful, Stoughton must withdraw from the MSBA grant program and reapply (See MSBA Extension Letter). 

If the District is unable to secure voter approval by April 30, 2025, for the Project as authorized by the MSBA Board of Directors, the District will have to remove its current Statement of Interest and submit a new Statement of Interest and await a second invitation from the MSBA to enter the grant program. If the MSBA Board of Directors were to issue such a second invitation, the MSBA would require that the District:

• Start the process anew, including the completion of Eligibility Period requirements and the selection processes for an owner’s project manager and designer; and,

• Perform a new feasibility study and schematic design for the South Elementary School without financial participation from the MSBA for these phases of the work.

• SOURCES:

  • 4/24/24 MSBA Letter

  • About the MSBA

  • MSBA FY2024 Financial Statement

  • MSBA 2024 Annual Report

  • Project Scope and Funding Agreement

  • MSBA Feasibility Study Agreement

  • MSBA Extension Letter

2. NEW INFORMATION: ADDITIONAL FUNDING SOURCES

   • The Select Board resolved to put $3.4M towards this project if the vote passes.

   • The sale of South and Jones Schools has the potential to reduce the cost to taxpayers an add’l $8M once sold.*

   • $4.6M is in the budget as contingency funding for this project - which will most likely not be used.

   
   

• SOURCES:

  • Select Board Letter, 1/7/25

  • Select Board Letter, 3/18/25

  
  

  ** Note: we apologize for the error in our ad, the correct full project cost (before add'l funding sources) is $65.2MM, not $62.5MM.