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(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries and letters to the Editor of The Somerville Times belong solely to the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville Times, its staff or publishers)
Over the past eight months a group of residents and students from Somerville and Medford galvanized by Our Revolution, has been regularly meeting to discuss the next Tufts Partnership Agreement (or PILOT). Our goal and the City’s goal has been the same—to achieve a better partnership agreement with Tufts.
Our organizing led to several community meetings and a public hearing at the Board of Aldermen. Mayor Curtatone responded by hiring a consultant to survey and interview residents on what the community would like to see from Tufts in the soon to be negotiated agreement.
The good news is that unlike many other issues before the city, there is a unified, citywide call for a significantly improved PILOT agreement with Tufts.
Our Revolution Somerville has called on Tufts to recognize the civic support and infrastructure that Somerville provides by agreeing to 12.5% annual cash and 12.5% in-kind payments on its assessed land value. This formula would bring Somerville (and Medford) to parity with Tufts’ current contributions to the City of Boston.
The consultant has now completed her report to the city and it largely echoes what the we’ve been saying all along. However, the report did not mention the substantial commitments made by the Mayor to include residents, school officials, and members of the school committee and Board of Aldermen in the negotiations with Tufts. The expiration of the current agreement has come and gone without any update on negotiations and without any of these commitments fulfilled.
It’s time for our elected officials and other community leaders to be at the bargaining table as promised. The city should also provide our community with regular updates as it negotiates a new agreement. Instead of making our affordable housing and quality jobs crisis worse, Tufts must step up to become a partner in addressing our city’s challenges with a PILOT agreement that provides parity with what it contributes to the City of Boston.
Sincerely,
Rand Wilson
(Member of Our Revolution PILOT committee)
Somerville
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As a member of this group I am particularly proud that the access to public discussion we urge contrasts so dramatically with that of the Union Square Neighborhood Council. I can continue with the Pilot group since, as a Senior homeowner, I could never afford the financial liability of the Union Square “executive sessions” should the USNC discussions result in any financial back room deals crafted in closed, executive meetings. Open meetings protect both negotiators and the public. As much as I trust the intentions of most of the Union Square progress, there is a lot more money there than the $2,000,000 or so from Tufts.
Its good to see movement on renegotiating the PILOT agreement with Tufts. The current agreement, when compared to the city of Boston was pathetic. Lets hope that city official stick to their guns and get whats right for the residents of Somerville.