My Promises Made, Promises Kept
As I promised during my campaign to serve as your Select Board representative, I believe Fairhaven needs a clear, disciplined, and fact-based strategy to address the Town’s projected budget deficits, not simply a short-term fix.
I believe our approach should be built around three phases: Understand the Problem, Address the Immediate Shortfall, and Build a Sustainable Long-Term Financial Future.
Phase One: Get the Facts and Establish Financial Accountability
Before we can solve a financial problem, we need to fully understand it.
I directly took the initiative to request that our School Department leadership provide essential financial information to Town leadership so that we can better understand enrollment, staffing, expenditures, and the financial challenges facing our schools.
Likewise, I have requested that our Town Administrator request comparable financial requests of our Police, Fire, and BPW departments. These meetings are now proposed.
The similar information request includes:
• A three-year historical review of staffing and expenses
• Current staffing levels and organizational structures
• Identification of significant increases in operating costs
• A proactive examination of what a 3% reduction in each of the next three fiscal years could look like
• Proposed meetings with each department have been requested by our Town Administrator to openly discuss the information and potential solutions
We cannot responsibly make major financial decisions without first having a complete picture of where our TAX dollars are being spent.
That means looking at the School Department, Police, Fire, BPW, and Town Hall as one overall municipal financial picture.
Phase Two: Address the Immediate Budget Shortfall
Once we have the facts, the next step is to address the projected budget shortfall.
The objective should be to identify practical and measurable cost reductions, efficiencies, and revenue opportunities before asking taxpayers for additional money through a Proposition 2½ override.
This does not mean reducing essential services blindly. It means asking every department to participate in finding efficiencies and examining how services are delivered.
At the same time, I have drafted a South Coast petition to the Governor and Massachusetts Legislature seeking increased Chapter 70 funding and additional state support for municipalities. Hopefully, our Select Board will endorse this draft and petition all communities to sign on.
I consider this an important short-term opportunity to help close the financial gap, while recognizing that Fairhaven ultimately must address its own structural budget challenges.
Phase Three: Build a Sustainable Long-Term Financial Plan
The third phase is about changing the way we approach municipal finances so that Fairhaven is not continually confronted with the same structural deficits.
Our Budget Working Group now provides an important vehicle for this long-term work.
The Group can examine how Fairhaven operates and identify opportunities to fundamentally improve the Town’s financial position over the next three to five years and beyond.
The goal I promised as a candidate is to build a multi-year balanced budget strategy, rather than addressing the deficit one year at a time.
Rick Trapilo, Fairhaven
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