Acushnet Town Meeting voters decide to make a new meals tax
ACUSHNET — With some protest, Acushnet Town Meeting on Monday night voted to create a local meals tax that will generate revenue whenever people eat at restaurants in town.
As written, Article 18's language entails a local meals excise tax of .75%.
As explained by Town Moderator Les Dakin, the rationale of creating a meals tax in Acushnet "is to give the town the option to improve local revenues and to diversify the sources of local revenue."
"Revenue estimates are between $50,000 and $100,000," Dakin said, noting "over 80% of SouthCoast communities" have opted to implement a local meals tax.
While pitching it as needed for the money it will bring in, town officials told residents they didn't like the idea anymore than the residents who spoke out against it.
"If it was under any other circumstances we wouldn't be proposing this at all but we do it under duress because every penny counts towards our budget and our overall operations," said Selectman David Wojnar, going on to reference the fact that Town Meeting's June 17 date was a postponement, as officials had yet to balance the budget in time for the original date.
"...we as residents eat in other communities' restaurants — New Bedford, Dartmouth — so we are paying this tax when we eat outside of Acushnet," Finance Committee Chair Michael Boucher later added. Boucher described the past year as "one of the most challenging years we've ever faced balancing a budget."
As outlined in the Board of Selectmen's letter to residents included in the Town Meeting warrant, Acushnet officials needed more time "to work through many versions of the Operating Budget to solve a $2,100,000.00 deficit between FY25 revenues and FY25 expenses."
In the end, Article 18 — as well as all other articles on the warrant — passed, including the town's total $36,183,691 FY25 operating budget.
It was not said at Town Meeting when the new tax would take effect, and town officials did not return inquiries in time for this publishing.
Chief Richmond announces retirement
Though noting it as "the worst kept secret," Acushnet Police Chief Christopher Richmond took a moment at Town Meeting to publicly announce his impending retirement. Raymond said he'd given formal written notice of his intentions to town officials in the fall.
"It's my time," Richmond said, thanking town officials, community members, and his colleagues in the Acushnet Police Department.
Richmond said he encouraged the selectmen to "promptly move to ... determine the process for my successor."
Richmond was appointed police chief in 2019 after being with the Acushnet Police Department for 25 years at the time, according to Acushnet's 2019 Annual Report. He succeeded former Chief Michael Alves.
Editor's Note: This story has been updated to correct the name of the police chief.
This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: Acushnet voters approve new local meals tax; police chief to retire
