The morning after a day late or T minus 362

It is official folks.  Off to Boston will go the votes of Town Meeting. Come April, the public will have the opportunity to vote on the creation of an elected advisory Board of Public Works, overseen by a strong Town Administrator to oversee the  Department of Public Works.  

As soon as Boston gets to our Town Administrator article, we will have a Town Administrator not quite as strong to oversee the rest of government. 

No public vote on that, just another vote by town meeting to accept the act that comes down. 

Am I happy.  No.  But it has been voted on, and at this point we all have to live with it.  Until April at least, or the following two Aprils. From the entertainment perspective, it would be interesting to see the dilemma if the voters turn down the neutering of the BPW.

Will it happen? Well I would assume not.  

There is an old saying however about assumptions, absolutely applicable to about what seems to be an expanding sea of people expressing their dismay as to the BPW article. 

Rather than laying out that statement as a reminder, I will simply note that when you don't show up, you have no right to complain; or when you bail out on the meeting after lunch, ditto.

Success on such matter is measured over time. For my part, I will hope it is a successful endeavor.  The Town cannot emotionally and financially afford another chain of events leading to turmoil and division.

All that being said, I can predict with supreme accuracy there will at least be one "No" vote for next April's ballot question. Town Meeting in its wisdom at least granted that option to the people on one article.

On the whole, it was a pretty good day for the town though.  It always is as far as I am concerned. Obviously I don't agree with everything done, but it was done pursuant to the process that is in fact Town Meeting.  A very disappointingly small Town Meeting, but by Town Meeting nonetheless.

Other than tossing a few more dollars into the money pit that are the former school buildings, the votes on finances went as expected.  

There was also the money from the CPC for the improvements to another museum.  Hey, maybe we will actually end up with something that actually ends up being what people say it will be.  No biggie there. Only $10k from a finite resource.

In what I thought would be a 3 for 3 day for the TGSC articles after the winning arguments presented for the first two of a well thought out process and planning, the Information Technology article did not pass. Go figure that one.  

From an observational point of view, one would have thought that all the same solid reasoning that resulted in the first two articles passing would have more than carried the third.  Again, go figure.

I was also toying with the idea of dealing with the "special interests" argument, but I decided to wait until the next time some one makes another special interest argument.  

And the pot tax?  Seriously?  There were some very interesting and taxing arguments made against it. 

Tallying up the day, biggest losers of course were the five members of the BPW, especially the ones that actually showed up. Each member of said having to realize at this point that up until the vote in April, and most probably afterward, are now essentially irrelevant. It will be interesting to see how many actually seek the new office and thereby continue to provide the  wealth of knowledge and experience.

Next biggest loser, in my opinion a statistical tie of sorts.  The police chief and the school department.  

In addition to a strong fire chief, we also have by adoption of statute a strong police chief.  While the two have varying degrees of authority under the applicable law, the fire chief has essentially been made exempt, with no such exemptions to the police chief.  

The schools, well as far as I am concerned, no more arguments from the schools about how they have to submit budgets. Take a look at section 13 of the of the new act to be submitted.  Now it will be done in such form as the TA shall establish.  Not a bad thing for anyone I suppose. Not like we have ever had any complaints or disagreements over the form of the budget submitted is there.  

Certainly there shouldn't be any complaints or disagreements over anything the new TA will require of the school department, since the elected and appointed officials from that department seemingly stood as one in support.  

Biggest winners, the Board of Selectmen.  First and foremost they still get to approve just about everything they approve of now. About the only thing they don't have a formal or final say on will be the hiring and firing of the rank and file. It will also pick up a bunch of power and responsibility under the BPW act too. The board will still be able to maintain the day to day authority if it chooses.

Fin. Com wins big under this too.  Just streamed lined the whole budget review process for it.  By requiring the TA to submit a budget to the selectmen and requiring the TA to be present at all meetings, outside of the schools and the non-operational articles, no need to send out budget letters, deal with the departments (other than schools), or have to wade through a host of other little things.  Sit and meet with the TA on a weekly basis. 

Actually under this set up, it should not have to meet more than 4 or five times during budget season to deal with the proposed budget. One or two meetings for other articles at the most, and for any special t.m., maybe one or two more. 

Send that one up to Boston ASAP.  

No more dealing with department heads as a matter of right who don't agree with selectmen recommendations or simply want to promote their departments. Except possibly the schools, which might also be excluded, this means this means every department, including the other one exempted here and there. 

The by-laws for town say petitioners are entitled to a hearing.  He or she who is required to submit a proposed budget is in my mind the he or she who is the petitioner.  Everyone else, well, oh well.  

Perhaps when the TGSC deals with fin com it will through in the joint meetings some other communities require.  See no real need for a dog and pony show for that though, but hey whatever. 

Make no mistake about it, I find all this actually a very good thing. 

So assuming the TA thingy gets approval around say November (could be earlier, hopefully no later), we will see a very stream lined budgetary process for FY 15.  BPW will still have one more budget to put in, which could be altered by the outcome of the April vote, however even without that vote, the provisions of the TA are probably applicable to the independent board relative to its remaining independent existence.

No more excuses about individual departments not getting instructions, information or not knowing what to do.  No more circles of finger pointing. Really no more excuses.  

To that end, a definite improvement.  A welcome one in fact.  Clear sailing for a final trip to the annual town meeting for this fin com member anyway.   

Will have to give some thought to how this new set-up should have to apply to reserve fund transfers, however essentially fin com now will receive one budget packet from one individual. 

One thing I want to make explicitly clear from an individual perspective.  

I am always acutely aware of expressed intent and actual votes. 

To that end, I will always do my utmost to make sure express intent and actual votes are carried out in spirit and legal requirements.  

This 90% good by-law should result in no more than 10% bad, which would be an improvement of about 15% +/-.  I can guaranty you that those in certain quarters will absolutely be reminded of their support for this article, and that complaints from certain quarters about its application are going to fall on at least one set of deaf ears. That includes not just supporters, but those who acquiesced by their absence.

Non-supporters may get a bit of sympathy, but that is all that can be done really. It will be the system we operate under. It will be the law of the land. 

One of several fundamental principal I do my utmost to adhere to is: Whether I personally agree with such matters or not, the standard in making a decision is not to be based on what I might like or not like. The standard is and always will be the proper application of the laws, rules, regulations and acts which this town exists and operates under. We now have adopted a procedure where one person is answerable for oversight.

Once approved by the legislature, this special act will be what it will be.  Old policies, procedure and precedent on a great many things disappear. Most of those matters that are to vanish will in fact be a great improvement from a fin com perspective, and more importantly from a town wide perspective. 

Indeed this should, if in fact a 90% good article, eventually do away with 90% of the real special interests in this town, and on that one it will be a 90% improvement.  It should eventually remove all the sweet heart deals some groups enjoy. It should prohibit the freebies some groups get. It should result in the elimination of inept budget handling, and loose application of required standards for funding from specified sources. It should make each and every employee and department head accountable for his and her actions, omissions and mistakes. 

It should.  If it is at least 90% good that is. Let's hope it is.

That's it for today folks.  

Be safe.