The Fall River City Council last night, on a 6-3 vote, rejected a proposal by the Coogan Administration to include a ballot question for this year’s election seeking voter approval of a debt exclusion to temporarily raise taxes to pay for the city’s share of the construction of the new Diman Regional Vocational Technical High School.
The administration argued that the ballot initiative would allow voters to decide how to offset the upwards of $7 million annually the city will need to pay for the new school.
During the debate, City Councilor Michelle Dionne argued the vote should have occurred two years ago when the council voted to move forward with the project and before construction began. She said taxpayers are strapped with annual increases and the debt exclusion for the new BMC Durfee High School.
City Administrator Seth Aitken said without the debt exclusion the city’s financial team will need to get creative in raising revenues and cut costs to meet the Diman assessment.
Mayor Paul Coogan says the council’s vote will make paying for Diman tougher and committing to a long-range funding plan now is difficult.
Despite last night’s vote, the administration can return to the council to seek another debt exclusion question be put before voters.
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