Good morning Mr. Viglione,
The agenda item you are inquiring about Applications for Abatement MOTOR VEHICLE EXCISE TAX is an item that the Board of Assessors addresses at their meetings every month. The Board of Assessors are required by Massachusetts General Law to act on every application received, in addition they must do so at a public meeting. Therefore, this agenda item reoccurs, it is not a new item.
The City of Medford's Assessing Department receives numerous motor vehicle abatement applications every month, these applications are processed in a timely manner. If possible they are processed before the bill due date to avoid the need for processing refunds.
In addition, every Motor Vehicle Excise bill issued by the City contains the application for abatement on the back of the bill. This is done to insure that Taxpayers are aware that they can file for an abatement if they have sold or disposed of their vehicle.
Sincerely,
Ellen
Ellen M. Brideau, MAA
Chief Assessor
City of Medford
781-393-2430
JOE VIG'S RESPONSE
Thank you for the explanation
Respectfully I ask this - if you state, Ms. Brideau "is an item that the Board of Assessors addresses at their meetings every month" why do I not see the Board of Assessors future meetings (same with the Cable Advisory Board,) when the Conservation Commission Meetings are scheduled way into 2019.
Why slip it on the agenda 49-50 hours in advance when, if these are monthly meetings, they could be on the calendar into 2019.
Same with the Cable Advisory Board.
The lack of transparency in the Muccini-Burke Administration is chilling; that Edward P. Finn would physically assault an investigative reporter on or about June 16 2015, the police and Mark Rumley say it never happened, they don't charge violent Mr. Finn for interfering with a reporter during an election cycle, then they press phony charges on me in December of 2015/January 2016 admitting that Finn did assault me, while Rick Caraviello lied through his teeth to the police and got away with it.
How can we trust this city when criminal behavior by a city clerk and a city council president, and a canon of ethics violation by Mayor Burke's foul-mouthed clerk of court husband are all swept under the rug?
Just to give you an update on the gangster style, thug like mentality of "public servants." Has Mr. Rumley skipped out to allegedly be a bill collector at Somerville District Court on company time lately? A shame that Ted Tomasone got caught allegedly paying his secretary out of city dollars to operate his non-profit while she's on the clock at the courthouse; just because I warned people about Tomasone for years doesn't make the fact that he went down hard any more easy to take after all the misconduct that happens - ripping off the public.
My concern is that the city does not give enough time for residents to even know that there is a meeting.
Are you going to change the situation and do a little promotion of this event? It would be refreshing.
Also, putting information on the back of the bill, which few people read, is what we call "fine print." Voters complained about the Community Preservation Act being on the back of the ballot, not enough outreach was done to inform votes, especially with Mayor Burke killing public access TV before the election, yet taking the money that I, Joe Viglione, saved the city when I shut down TV3.
Mrs. Burke allegedly was waltzing around some shopping area on July 11, a citizen informs me, approx 3:15 in the afternoon out shopping like she's Eva Gabor on Green Acres...Park Avenue indeed, yet Mrs. Burke didn't have time to interview me for the job of station manager - because she knows that I am overqualified for the position and would rein in the "general fund" abuse of Access monies, would hold her feet to the fire and, oh my God, I would actually serve the public, not her highness.
TIMELY POSTING OF ASSESSORS
50 hours or so may be within the law, but it is not fair. It's really something that should be publicized in the Patch, Comcast's Everyblock (if they still have that,)
Public Access TV which does NOT EXIST in Medford because, based on information and belief, Mark Rumley and Stephanie Burke are SQUELCHING FREE SPEECH in Medford, intentionally.
This is such an important issue, the Excise Tax, and that you can issue a warrant for arrest of someone not paying the tax, yet it slides onto the calendar and the event comes and goes without people knowing about it.
Everything Muccini-Burke, Mark Rumley and this Administration does is suspect because for every bit of good this mayor might have done for the city, 9 items on her agenda are BAD for the city. A once great city councilor is a horrible mayor, yet few people even notice the important things, which is why I have promoted heavily this meeting
I respectfully request that all upcoming meetings be posted way in advance. If a change has to be made for a GOOD reason, not a reason like Rumley afraid to have a discussion with me during a cable advisory meeting, if you have a substantial reason to change a date made in good faith, change it.
I only am trying to help this community - an Administration that makes fictional bad guy Tony Soprano look like a choir boy
Thank you
Joe Viglione
