It is Monday time again

Town Government Study Committee on tour this week.  It is the headline act on Thursday, September 19th at 6:00 P.M. at the West Island Improvement Association building.  Free admission and refreshments will be served.

Trying to jazz up the pitch for you to attend.  

Also making a point, or trying to.  These road shows are conducted for you.  They are held to try and gather public input. The "busy life" syndrome is understandable but understanding why things may be difficult doesn't excuse non-participation if the issue is important to you.

At a minimum, no one should be complaining at the end of this process about the lack of public participation, or information.  Meetings are posted. A separate website exists.  The town website has plenty of info as to dates, times of meetings, agendas, minutes, links.

"I did not know" will in the end be a hollow excuse for this one.

Speaking of not knowing, fortunately I haven't heard that one as an excuse for last week's election. Curiously enough, I have heard the complaint for the last annual election.

Every time I hear that excuse, the first thing I ask is how long have you lived in Town.

As far as I am concerned that is an excuse that is permissible once, and only for people who move into town 60 days or less before the first such election is held after they have moved.

It is no secret.  The annual election is the first Monday in April.  Every year it is held on the first Monday in April.  Forgetting about it doesn't equal complaining about not having been told.  Not registering to vote once you have moved does not equate into an ongoing excuse.  Neither does not asking when are elections held

Come election times, there are several tell tale sings an election is coming up.  Besides the newspaper blurbs, ads in newspapers, mailings and fliers, there are usually a couple of hundred indicators spread throughout town on peoples lawns.

Sorry, that really does tick me off just a tad.  

Okay moving on.  

In a few weeks, maybe less or perhaps a week or two more than a few, the annual numbers review by the state as to the town "coffers".  Preliminary outlook I suppose does depend on whether you prefer the glass to be half-full or half-empty.

I suppose it also depends on how big a sip you are intending to take from the glass.

I just always get a bit dazed and confused at the aspect of expanding services or providing new services, when you can't afford the bill for what you are all ready doing.  It is not just a local issue.  Indeed the issue is handled much better locally than on the state or national level. Not handled perfectly mind you, just better.

The town will soon get into the never ending debate of wants vs. needs vs. necessities. 

Wants are usually easy enough to deal with.  Wants should never be dismissed out of hand. A want however is something not needed or necessary to function.  It is desirable, and may often provided a tangible benefit, but in most instances most wants out of necessity need to be placed at the bottom of the pecking order.

Needs vs. necessity is where the debate gets tricky.  Some people see no difference.  In purest technical sense that may be true.  In reality, with a finite funding pool, the difference can be substantial. This difference is pretty much always compounded by the differing view points of competing entities.

There are ongoing attempts to form a capital planning committee.  This concept is not new.  Indeed over the past twenty years a number of efforts have been made.  The last substantial battle over the concept was during the May, 1997 Town Meeting where there were competing articles for the formation of such a committee along with a Town Building Maintenance program.  Both were shot down due to the competing politics and viewpoints.  

It is a desirable thing, a capital planning committee, at a minimum a plan.  Either one with some teeth to it, which is only gong to happen through a change to the town code listing some requirements. 

The teeth: no capital expenditure over a certain amount may be acted upon by town meeting which has not been included in the plan.  Yes I know you would have to make some provisions for real emergencies.  But this would require people to sit down an actual do some planning.  To be included, a department would need to submit its plan.  

Immediate problem, no one seems to want to join, or nearly no one.  Recent calls for volunteers seems to have resulted in at best a very light response.

Nothing new on that front, at least not over the last twenty years.  Between lack of public involvement, turf protection, a reaction mentality and politics, it has gone nowhere.

Propose a committee that addresses a specialized concern, it seems there is no lack of interest.  Propose a committee to deal with the fundamental issues, well there simply isn't any time.

Time and money.  Both always seem to be in short supply.  

Anyway ... 

Enough for today.

Be safe.