~ OP-ED ~ Too Much of a Good Thing: Why Our City Needs a Balanced Tax Base

By Craig Spadafora, Councilor At Large

The saying “too much of a good thing” highlights the need for balance. For Malden, that good thing is residential housing — perhaps a surprising idea for some.

Malden, like most cities, is facing mounting fiscal pressure — infrastructure, insurance, payroll, healthcare. Having a strong commercial tax base is not just beneficial, it’s essential.

Currently Malden tax base is approximately 90% residential. While this reliance may seem convenient, it places an unsustainable burden on homeowners, limiting our city’s ability to fund essential services — services that are vital to our community’s well-being, such as education, public safety, and infrastructure. This cycle results in higher property taxes, which can lead to affordability challenges for many residents. If you think it’s expensive now just wait.

Residential taxes come with notable costs that can dimmish their overall effectiveness. While taxes are intended to bolster the city’s coffers, they are often inadvertently strained by education, public safety, and infrastructure costs to support those residents.

Commercial and industrial sectors require fewer city services (e.g. Schools, parks, public safety) than residential areas, making their tax contribution more “profitable” for us. It’s not what you make, it’s what you keep!

But that is not the entire story. Commercial activity generates a more diverse and dynamic stream of revenue and channels beyond just the property assessments.

There are sales, meals, entertainment, hotel, and business licenses.

Increasing more commercial goes beyond just increasing revenue. It directly contributes to job creation, providing diverse employment opportunities that support Malden residents.

Consider this:

Malden‘s 2025 assessed Commercial /Industrial base: approximately $963M.

While in neighboring cities like Medford and Revere, $1.4 billion, while Saugus is $1 billion. Somerville boasts $4 billion. These disparities underline the need for a strategic shift in our approach.

To address this issue, I recently sponsored a paper aimed to take proactive steps towards developing a comprehensive master plan aimed to bolster our commercial and industrial tax base. This initiative is not just a fiscal necessity; it is the foundation for growth and maintaining affordable living conditions for all our residents. I urge you to join me in making this our number one initiative. We can ensure that our city not only thrives but remains a place where residents can afford to live, work and flourish.