Writing about Lancaster, Massachusetts

  Image by Firefly AI: "A tangle of ethernet cables shaped like a Christmas Tree" For much of Lancaster, Xfinity is our internet provider.  We have a few different plans to pick from: which should we pick?   This years infrastructure upgrades allowed higher upload speeds - that's changed the choices drastically.  If you haven't looked recently, it might be time to check if a cheaper plan would meet your needs.

  Image by Adobe Firefly AI Last night the Select Board held the town's Tax Classification hearing, clearing the way for the town to submit tax rates for FY2025.    Though the appropriation approved in May was up 4% over the previous year, many tax payers will pay less in taxes for FY2025 (the year ending in June) because the town approved a budget that uses $1,000,000 in free cash (unused balances from prior years) and stabilization funds.    This is a victory for residents who pressed for a budget that more accurately portrayed expenses after two years of wildly inflated budgets, but we'll need to continue pressing for transparency and accurate budgeting.