Take Pride in What We Save and Sustain
My name is Chris Fidalgo. I’m a member of the Fairhaven Finance Committee. I’m writing this letter as a passionate citizen and state explicitly here: this is NOT the committee’s opinion, only one person’s.
Fairhaven’s budget conversation has reached a point where we need to be honest about the tradeoffs we’re making: not just this year, but for the town’s future.
For years, we’ve taken pride in keeping taxes low. On the surface, that sounds like fiscal responsibility. However, when we step back, a different picture emerges: the Massachusetts median residential tax rate is around $15 compared to Fairhaven’s $9.32 per $1,000. That doesn’t mean we’ve found some hidden efficiency: it means we are funding less of what our town actually needs.
We are now seeing the consequences. Departments are being asked to do more with less, year after year. Small budget lines are scrutinized down to the dollar, while larger structural issues go unaddressed. We risk reaching a point where “cutting costs” is no longer about efficiency, but about cutting into the core services that make Fairhaven a desirable place to live.
This is especially clear in our schools. Strong schools are not just a benefit for families with children. They are one of the primary drivers of property values and community stability. Yet, we are paying our teachers among the lowest in comparable, nearby towns. Over time, that discrepancy will not remain invisible. It will show up in employee retention, in quality, and ultimately in how people value living here.
There is also growing interest in privatizing services as a cost-saving measure. While that may reduce short-term payroll expenses, it often replaces predictable public costs with long-term, contractual obligations that we cannot control. Once a service is outsourced, the town loses leverage. Costs can rise, and flexibility can disappear. This will expedite the loss of services.
The question in front of us is not simply whether to spend more or less. It is whether we choose to address our financial reality in a controlled, thoughtful way now, or be forced into larger, more disruptive decisions later.
A modest override, paired with responsible budgeting is fiscal discipline in action. This is what our Town Administrator is thoughtfully proposing. It is an acknowledgment that maintaining our town requires our investment. Avoiding that reality does not eliminate the cost. It delays it and often increases it.
Fairhaven is a community people care deeply about. The goal is not to make the government bigger, but to ensure it remains functional, stable, and capable of supporting the town we want to live in.
We should take pride not just in what we save, but in what we sustain.
Chris Fidalgo, Fairhaven
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