Menino’s budget proposes far fewer job cuts than in past

Mayor Thomas M. Menino will unveil a budget today that may be most notable for what it does not include: the threat of big layoffs… But there are still cuts on the table. City workers would be pulled out of five more community centers. The Boston Public Library would lose $230,000, reducing its book budget and ending Sunday hours at the main branch… Property taxes are expected to bring in 4.4 percent more because of higher rates and new growth. The hotel tax is expected to net the city an additional $17.5 million. And the first full year of a local meals tax will bring in another $1.6 million. Pressure on large nonprofits is also expected to help elicit almost $7 million more voluntary payments from hospitals, universities, and other large institutions exempt from property taxes. [Full Article: Boston Globe]