Select Board workshop session today 9/18

There will be a Select Board Workshop session today at 4PM in room 301 of the Town Hall. I noticed this morning it is not listed on the town website even though we scheduled it well in advance.
The agenda will be review and update of the policy and objectives that were put out last year before I joined the Select Board. Currently, this document is mostly a list of possible cost saving ...

.. measures and I think it is of little value. In my view, the goal, objective if you will, is simply stated, the rate of growth of our expenditures must be equal to or less than the rate of growth of our revenue. That is the task which we must give to our administrators. The policy which leads us there should be broadly stated. It should include a prioritization of the town's expenditures. The top priorities will be funded and the lower ones cut or eliminated. I think that it should be along these lines,

-School Department spending will be kept at minimum net school spending as required by the state

-The next priorities are core functions and statutory requirements such as police, plowing snow and filling potholes, assessing property, processing tax, water, and sewer bills, paying bills and administering contracts, permitting and inspecting buildings, administering elections and maintaining records, and Veterans Affairs.
I would also include providing water and sewer service, and collecting trash in this category. Since they are enterprise funds, I did not list them with the others. The enterprise funds need to be self sustaining from their fees.

-The remaining expenditures should be level funded, see reduction in the rate of growth of expenditure, cut or eliminated. In this category are the library, COA, Park and Recreation Department, Conservation Commission, Youth Commission, and any other expenditure

In listing these priorities, I am not precluding reduction in the higher priority budgets through cost saving measures. We must reduce the rate of growth of expenditures in those departments as well. I am just suggesting that those budgets are functions which we are required to have. We must assess and tax property. That is the law and the source of our largest revenue stream. We are required by law to have a Veteran's Agent. We have to issue contracts and pay bills. We have to patrol the streets and maintain the streets. These functions should not get a pass on the reduction of spending but will be given first priority. Other spending necessarily must have a lower priority.
It is along these lines that I think the Select Board should be making policy. It is then up to those who are paid to run our town departments to reconcile our spending with our revenue. Dare I mention that we need a plan for implementing these reductions. We know right now that our revenue will not cover our expenses next year and in future years. As a Select Board member, I do not have intimate knowledge of the workings of the town departments. It is not the role of the Select Board to run the departments. Those who do and are paid to administer the town should present a plan to the Select Board that balances revenue and spending.
I am sure to get comments that overrides are needed to fix this problem. Overrides are a short term fix and does not resolve the underlying problem as I posted here. Post you comments below.