Proposition 2-1/2 in Context
It is critically importance for the Select Board to provide the taxpayers with the full context, transparency, and financial outlook of the Town in order to maintain public trust.
If the Town is going to ask taxpayers to support an override, then the Town has an obligation to present the full financial picture. That includes clearly communicating the foreseeable impact of major capital projects that are already on the horizon.
At last year’s Annual Town meeting, $50K was appropriated to advance design and cost analysis of a Public Safety Facility and the (unofficial) Capital Improvement Plan on the Town website projects $6.5M in borrowing in FY 2027 and another $40M in FY 2028. Taxpayers deserve to understand what this means now, in relation to other financial considerations.
A project of that size would, obviously, require a debt exclusion vote and could result in roughly $350 to $450 annually to the average taxpayer.
The Select Board should provide straightforward tax projections and timelines for the Public Safety Complex along with a debt service plan that would show projections of total debt on the books for the Town in future years, accounting for existing and projected borrowing combined. This would really help illustrate to the taxpayers what lies ahead.
Voters should not be asked to make decisions in stages when the broader financial implications are already known or reasonably foreseeable.
In our own homes we would not try to establish a budget without considering an anticipated loan for a new car, nor would we sign a new car loan without considering an existing home equity loan or another long-term debt that we are anticipating. It is important to have all relevant information in mind when making major decisions.
I also believe that when the Town presents the budget, it should be accompanied by an explanation of how that budget stacks up against the Towns’ established Financial Policies, adopted in 2024. That is a very important document. I believe it would be in the best interest of taxpayers for the Select Board to present a summary, annually, of how the budget aligns with each of those policies or to provide a direct explanation of where and why it does not.
The decisions in front of the Town are significant. They require honesty, clarity, full disclosure and assurance that the recommendations presented to Town Meeting members adhere to established Financial Policies.
Taxpayers deserve nothing less
Bob Espindola, Fairhaven
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