A Response to Mr. Dowd
First, the purpose of the FinCom is to Advise & Consent. That means gathering information, evaluating it and making recommendations to Town Meeting. It is the voters of the town that have the ultimate say .
Second, the study commissioned by the town on Pay & Benefits was supposed to be a comprehensive look at the pay/benefit structure of the town. How we are compared to other towns and give us ideas as to how we could make improvements. We paid very little for this study as opposed to what it could cost. This was done because we felt there were better uses for the limited funds the town has. The end result is you get what you pay for. There is a lot of information to assemble and results do not happen overnight.
Third, regarding the annual setting guidelines. There is no mystery, no attempt to game the system., as suggested. There are certain fixed costs that MUST be paid. These are covered first. Whatever is “left” goes to what little discretionary spending there is. To cover the expenses, ALL sources of revenue are taken into account. Revenues are estimated on the low side, expenses on the high side. This way we can produce a reasonable and conservative budget. New growth, state aid, local taxes (excise taxes) and amounts allowed under the levy limit are the biggest areas for revenue. Fixed costs alone often eat up any 2 ½% increases in the property tax. Fuel, utilities, unfunded state mandates and insurance rise faster than 2 ½%. As a town we have little to no control over these costs. The discretionary portion of the budget is where the FinCom works with each department. The mantra always is to do more with less. Amazingly, in the worst of times we are able to accomplish this without significant loss of services. Due in large part to the wonderful town employees we are fortunate to have. The final budget is again voted on by Town Meeting, FinCom only suggests.
People need to decide what kind of town they want, what services vanish. That is the only outcome that matters. The FinCom makes its plans on available resources, to do less is a disservice to the town. During the recent financial crisis we had less override proposals than all of our neighbors, That says something about how the FinCom operates.
Mr. Dowd regularly attends both selectmen and FinCom meetings. As long as I was there he was free to ask any questions he wished. On several occasions he did presentations to illustrate his points. There was not always full agreement on his efforts. I am aware that he often requests documents and it has always been my understanding that his requests are taken seriously and documents are provided when possible. Neither the selectmen nor the FinCom have anything to hide from anyone. Meetings are conducted in open and can be seen on cable.
That said, Mr. Dowd appear to the be a person in need of an “attitude adjustment” that he suggested for others. He likes to cast his opinions cloaked in accusations that somehow no one pays attention to him. Nothing could be further from the truth. His confrontational tone does nothing to promote solutions. In fact, if you go back over his many articles you will see very little to nothing in the way of solutions, just complaints. Mr. Dowd claims to have superior knowledge and insight on these matters, possibly that is true. However, when opinions are expressed that run contrary to his he takes that as unresponsive or worse. Again I sat in many a meeting with him and do not recall hearing or seeing a plan presented by him that would maintain what the majority of the town wants for services while accomplishing his goals. This is not to say it can’t be done, however Mr. Dowd needs to stop making complaints and start giving specific proposals.
If the people of this town do not like the actions of the Selectmen or the FinCom there are elections every May. Historically almost no one runs for these jobs. These non paid jobs that require a lot of time and dedication. It has been suggested to Mr. Dowd that he run for a seat, he has declined. Let the public hear his specific plans, how would he want things to change? How would those changes affect life in town? Are there other more workable solutions? Until he is more transparent and lets his ideas into the daylight we’ll never know. Complaining is easy, doing the right thing for the entire town is hard.
Editors Note: Mark Schultz is a former FinCom member
it was "tongue in cheek" !!! :)
ben | 2013-01-05 11:05:22
Ben - you seem to be calling the pot black. "spell it write" - shouldn't that be - spell it right?
Spelling Police | 2013-01-05 10:34:11
Ben, "spell it write?"
LT | 2013-01-05 10:26:36
sean... steeling??? spell it write.. . stealing... then write your response!
ben | 2013-01-05 06:49:34
Sean,talk about hurling unsubstantiated charges around? Stealing people's money? Give me a break! Yes public employees have gotten raises over years, however every department in town has had a head count cut! You seem to think that town employees don't deserve the pay they get. You have NO idea how much unpaid time people put in to make this town a place where people want to live. Because you don't agree with someone you hurl insults, that is no way to have intelligent discussion. I strongly suggest you stick to facts. Bill and I disagree on a great many things but it never has nor will it degenerate to this type of diatribe. Again, I asked for specific proposals and have yet to see them. We have a limited budget and if you put money in one area you have to take it from another. The huge majority of our budget is for salaries. How many more employees would you cut? How large would you like the class sizes? Close the library? Cut the cops?? Board of health? Seniors? If you want to make a major reordering of the budget you have to look at these questions. It's not magic, its a careful balancing act. Contrary to the belief of some, town services are not free. Real people (a lot of your neighbors)work these jobs like everyone else to provide for their families. They deserve a living wage. Finally Sean, Town Meeting makes the ultimate decisions. You always free to raise objections. That would be those who care enough to show up and vote. If you have a problem with the process, attend the meetings. Bill does. Don't hurl charges at those who are doing the best they can for the town. Make a positive contribution and please get your facts straight.
Mark Schultz | 2013-01-04 13:49:18
I want to make a suggestion to anyone who questions why the FinCom and Board of Selectmen jointly chose the three people that were appointed to fill the three vacancies on the FinCom. Please review the video of the meeting in which we interviewed the candidates, discussed their individual qualifications and then voted on whom to appoint. We were very fortunate to have applicants with a broad range of education, skills and experience. They would each bring a great deal to the FinCom. To say that the people who were appointed were chosen because they had a "less specific agenda" or a "partisan hack job" is totally inaccurate and a complete disservice to the three very qualified people who were appointed. The town is very fortunate to have these people willing to give their expertise and time in public service.
Michelle Zeamer | 2013-01-04 06:00:57
Steeling peoples hard earned money cloaked in bureaucratic tax levies is not doing the right thing for the citizens of the town. It works for those public employee's who have gained raises year after year in an environment that has seen the avg. income of workers, especially in the private sector drop to 1990 levels. We have had an increase of employment, promotions and wages for police officers, town hall workers, firemen and educational staff for the past 10 years. The disgraceful and unsustainable exploitation of public funds will end once the whole thing comes crashing down. We are rapidly approaching that mark and there will be a lot of good people hurt. Friends and family that provided tremendous service through out their tenure in public service risk losing everything if something is not done. Bill Dowd has offered solutions many times in the past. I have heard them and have even read them in this very forum. His attempt to be part of the solution and become a member of the fincom was laughed at by the board electing the new members and was a partisan hack job, 1/2 percent???(lol belly roll). Bill would not have gotten that job if he was the only applicant applying. Maybe we should start by getting Bill the answers he requests in a timely manner and not years. Maybe then he could supply the board and the town with real answers and solutions to an ever growing mismanagement and exploitation of public funds. I want answers, answers that should be provided to the public by law. I want the cloak of bureaucracy torn off and I want to know where my hard earned money is going and I want to know why my Taxes have doubled in the past ten years. I want to know why many of the old timers that built this town move out regurely year after year. I want to know. Itis my right, BY LAW. (Please don't forward me the yearly statement...it is as transparent as the pavement on Washington St.) Mr. Dowd thank you for your service. You have endured ridicule, rudeness, arrogance and risked public outcast all for the benefit of others. People you don't even know. It is very Noble of you. As for the so called adults who mock you. There will come a time that they will regret their actions. Then again, maybe not...they can just blame Bill Dowd.
Sean | 2013-01-03 21:26:18
You have my vote, Bill. I would relish the idea of someone with your convictions, energy, and ideals in a seat that could have a true impact on this town. No one wants to hear, or worse, be the bearer of bad news, but as a town, we need to step up and deal with the realities of today. Lead the way, Bill!
Concerned townie | 2013-01-03 17:14:32
Bill, thank you the acknowledgement of my time invested in the town. Please do not presume what I "know full well". We differ greatly in our views because Bill sees town government as broken. I do not. I see people doing hard jobs the best they can with the best interests of the town as their goal. As far a becoming part of the process, Mr. Dowd applied for one of the open positions and was not selected, that is true. He does have a specific agenda as Mr. Weise noted. The FinCom is not a placed for agenda driven politics. FinCom issues should be judged on the financial worth to the town, nothing else. The members of the FinCom went with what they feel was the most qualified applicant. I have said many times that Mr. Dowd should RUN for the office and let the public vet his ideas and decide. That is how the system works. If he believes that government is broken the only way for him to fix it is from the inside. However, I believe his feelings are based on the fact that people are not seeing the same "solutions" as he does.
Mark Schultz | 2013-01-03 08:41:37
I know the position that you are coming from and agree with much of what you said. However, the issue of pension reform, in the private sector, and at all levels of government, is very important, time sensitive and very expensive. Yet progress is agonizing slow happen - not because solutions are unknown, but because they will be "painful" and no elected official wants to be blamed for that. If nothing else Bill Dowd keeps this issue in front of all of us and forces motion toward a solution - for that "thank you." As for his not being a Town official - I believe that Mr. Dowd recently applied for an open position on the Fincom but was bypassed by the selection of someone with a less specific agenda.
Jeff Weise | 2013-01-03 07:22:52
Mark's a good guy who has volunteered countless hours over many years in service to the Town. But he couldn't be more wrong about me. Either he hasn't really read my articles and listened to my presentations, or his mind has just blocked out the fact that every one of my pieces contains specific suggestions for improvement or solutions. I'm so tired of the rebuttal that I only complain. I stand on my previous pieces. For example, if you just read my latest piece on the FinCom, here are the solutions in case you missed them. 1. The FinCom should check their math and avoid making false claims to Town Meeting. 2. The FinCom should get serious about the long delayed and seriously flawed comp and ben study. They sponsored it after all. (By the way, Mark knows full well that the study was begun in response to four "solutions" I proposed in April of 2011 on which the FinCom wanted to postpone action. More solutions Mark missed.) 3. The FinCom should start the budget process at 0% increase and make departments prove why they need more money. 4. The FinCom should abide by the law and respond to document requests in the legally prescribed 10 days. Got it? He and others may disagree with those proposals, but please don't say that I just complain to complain. Mark knows full well that not only did I suggest an improvement to the FinCom's annual financial report, I volunteered my time and talents to prepare the four financial statements that are now part of the FinCom report each year. As for serving on the FinCom, Mark also knows full well that I put my name in for appointment to the FinCom last summer. Of 21 possible votes, I received ½ a vote; I was tied for last place on one voter's list of three. Our local government is broken. Can't we stop demonizing my ideas and me and get to work making things better?
Bill Dowd | 2013-01-03 07:14:17