TWIN RIVER MAKES FORMAL PRESENTATION OF TIVERTON CASINO PLAN TO TOWN COUNCIL

Representatives from Twin River made a formal presentation of their plan for a Tiverton convenience casino and hotel to the Town Council (link to Herald News story below).

The meeting can be viewed online or on Cox Cable channel 18 in Tiverton (and all of Newport County) at these times: 
Tues (Nov. 10) @ 8p
Wed (Nov. 11 ) @ 6a & noon
Sat (Nov. 14) @ 7p
Sun (Nov. 15) @ 11a

http://www.heraldnews.com/article/20151109/NEWS/151106120/0/breaking_ajax/?Start=2

TOWN COUNCIL VOTES 5-2 AGAINST CHANGING THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN TO PERMIT PROPOSED TIVERTON GLEN MEGADEVELOPMENT

The Town Council voted 5-2 tonight against altering the Town's Comprehensive Community Plan to make the Tiverton Glen proposal possible (against: Pelletier, Mello, Chabot, DeMedeiros, Sousa / for: Lambert, Perry). 

Thanks to the five Councilors who heard the people say loudly and clearly "no!" to changing the small town nature of Tiverton. And thanks to everyone who spoke out, wrote, and worked to help stop a destructive proposal, and an improper process.

Brian Medeiros
Tiverton, RI

COMPREHENSIVE PLAN / TIVERTON GLEN PUBLIC HEARING CONTINUES TONIGHT (MON JULY 20) @ 7p at THS

A reminder that the continuation of the Town Council's public hearing on a proposal to change the town's Comprehensive Community Plan (and a proposed zoning change) to facilitate the proposed Tiverton Glen development is tomorrow (Mon July 20) at 7p at the THS auditorium. 

It's a last chance for all interested residents to be heard on these proposals before a likely Council vote. It's important to make your voice heard on this crucial issue affecting Tiverton's future, and that all who attend be respectful of all who speak, on either side of the issue, as well as the Council and other officials.

One issue that has arisen is what will be voted on. The developer's spokesperson has written a letter claiming the proposed changes are simply minor language tweaks. This is inaccurate, as the changes required to allow what Carpianato is proposing requires a complete alteration of the Comp Plan, and that is what will be voted on. 

Also, the Council claims this change is not specifically about Tiverton Glen. This may be accurate technically, but the undeniable fact is that these changes are being proposed now, outside the normal process, solely to accommodate TG. In fact, while residents were told they couldn't speak to the details of this development, the developer was offered an opportunity to speak first at the hearing, Why was this done if the Comp Plan changes weren't about TG? 

The fact is that a special process is being rushed through to accommodate a development that runs totally counter to the current Comp Plan, and will permanently change Tiverton's small town nature. And this is being done as the developer completely changes the plan presented to the Planning board, and asks the Council to approve this new plan,and undo the limitations set by the Planning Boatd. That's what's going on and what's at stake tomorrow, and to try to spin it as something else is dishonest.

Brian Medeiros
Tiverton, RI

PROJO: NEW LIBRARY IS A HIT

The new library is quickly becoming what supporters envisioned (link below). Despite attempts by some to stop this project, and talk it down since it was built, the new library is a huge asset to our community.Thanks again to all who worked long and hard to make it happen, and to the voters who supported it.

http://www.providencejournal.com/article/20150720/NEWS/150729954/-1/breaking_ajax

LETTER: TIVERTON GLEN MESS IS DEJA VU ALL OVER AGAIN

As Tiverton's Town Council considers whether to ignore proper process, and the clear opposition of residents and businesses, to rewrite the town's Comprehensive Community Plan to accommodate a developer, I'm reminded of a Yogi Berra quote: "It's like deja vu all over again."

"Tiverton Glen" is the latest attempt to bring big-box stores and sprawl to Tiverton, under the guise of a "mixed-use development". The developer, Carpianato Group, has shown their disregard for Tiverton. Shortly after gaining narrow approval from the Planning Board, this developer presented a much larger and significantly different plan to the Town Council for approval, which also eliminates restrictions suggested by the Planning Board. If the Council approves this plan, they will be not just letting the wolf inside the hen-house, but putting the wolf in control.

Yet some on the Town Council seem willing to not only irreversibly sell out the town's greatest asset, the small-town character treasured by so many, but to cheat the proper process to do so. They are looking to rush through fundamental changes to our Comprehensive Plan, since what is proposed runs completely counter to it, and to ignore the committee they appointed to review the Comp Plan and make recommendations.

Over 500 residents attended last week's public hearing, the overwhelming majority expressing opposition to changing the Comp Plan, and to Tiverton Glen. Yet some refuse to accept this reality, claiming the town is evenly split but supporters choose to remain invisible. This is as misguided as when the State officials who conducted the bridge-toll hearings ignored near-unanimous opposition.

A decade ago, a similar development was proposed at the same location, and residents rose up in opposition. Despite this, the Council attempted to bypass established process and proceed, some claiming there was a silent majority who supported it. The next Council election occurred before a decision was made, and all Councilors who had expressed support for this plan were voted out, replaced by seven Councilors who opposed it (I was one of those elected).

Our elected Councilors should put Tiverton's interests before that of a developer. At a minimum, the Council owes it to the people of Tiverton to follow the established process to revise the Comprehensive Plan. I know I'm not the only resident fed up with being told our beautiful town is so pitiful that we should be grateful that a developer wants to exploit and permanently change it. And I know I won't be the only one doing all I can to defeat any Councilor who votes to bypass the proper process and shred our Comp Plan to please a developer. Tiverton deserves better.

Brian Medeiros
Tiverton, RI

OVERWHELMING MAJORITY AT PUBLIC HEARING OPPOSES CHANGES TO TOWN'S COMPREHENSIVE PLAN TO ACCOMMODATE TIVERTON GLEN DEVELOPER

Great to see such a large turnout on a hot July night, with the overwhelming majority strongly opposed to this attempt to forever change the small-town nature of Tiverton by altering the town's Comprehensive Community Plan to accommodate the developer of the proposed Tiverton Glen/Crossings mega-development (links to media coverage below).

The Town Council continued this public hearing on proposals to alter the town's Comprehensive Community Plan and zoning to July 20. The Council plans to hear more public comment, and then deliberate and vote on the proposals. Whatever your view of this proposed development, this meeting (and the two weeks leading up to it) is your opportunity to let your elected representatives know your view on these proposed changes.

Brian Medeiros
Tiverton, RI

http://www.providencejournal.com/article/20150707/NEWS/150709497

http://www.heraldnews.com/article/20150707/NEWS/150707481/0/breaking_ajax

PUBLIC HEARING TONIGHT @ 7p AT THS ON TIVERTON GLEN PROPOSAL / CHANGES TO TOWN'S COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

Tonight's public hearing (7pm at THS) may well determine the future of Tiverton. Not only are the Tiverton Glen developers asking the Town Council to change the zoning and the town's Comprehensive Plan to accommodate their proposal, but now they are seeking a larger project than what the Planning Board spent months reviewing, and they want the Council to ignore requirements set by the Planning Board. This is an outrageous attempt to bypass the Planning Board and subvert the towns planning processes. 

Whatever your views on this development, hopefully we can all agree that this is an unacceptable way to bring development. If you agree, let your elected Town Councilors know that this is not how things should be done in Tiverton.

Brian Medeiros
Tiverton, RI

TOWN SEEKS TO EXTEND LIFE OF LANDFILL

Providence Journal article on Tiverton's request to the State to be allowed to extend the length of operations at the town landfill.

http://www.providencejournal.com/article/20150701/NEWS/150709947/-1/breaking_ajax

SCHOOL COMMITTEE SAVES ALL DAY KINDERGARTEN FROM FTR BUDGET CUTS

Thank you to our school dept officials and School Committee for working to find a way to fund All Day Kindergarten (link below), saving one of its priorities from the cuts caused by the FTR-approved Katz budget that nearly forced its elimination. Unfortunately, there aren't sufficient funds to restore the other programs eliminated as a result of those budget cuts. 

This situation has illustrated the destructive consequences of making mindless cuts to a budget prepared over months by those we elect and hire to do so, in order to save a few tax dollars in the short term. The idea that you can strip away reserves required to handle emergencies, cut funding for services, count on unexpected savings to restore those cuts, and somehow not cause severe damage to the community is foolishness. It's a self-defeating and shortsighted way to operate a town, and a mistake that hopefully won't be repeated.

Brian Medeiros
Tiverton, RI

http://www.heraldnews.com/article/20150625/NEWS/150627372/0/breaking_ajax

STATE MAY STEP IN TO FUND ALL DAY KINDERGARTEN

Herald News article on the All Day Kindergarten funding issue (link here):

http://www.heraldnews.com/article/20150610/NEWS/150619038/0/breaking_ajax/?Start=1

Amazing that some people don't see the connection between supporting an alternative budget that cut funds intended to fund ADK and the delay of that program when that budget with those cuts was approved by the 20% of voters who voted in the FTR budget vote on May 16. To be clear, the School Committee and those of us who support our public education have long made All Day Kindergarten a priority. It's those who push budget schemes that cut the funding and then manipulate anxious parents with misinformation about magical piles of money who should be made to answer for their actions.

Brian Medeiros
Tiverton, RI

REALITY CHECK: ALL DAY KINDERGARTEN

Tiverton is one of the few RI communities without All Day Kindergarten, despite a consensus that it is an important educational goal. It is not currently included in the School Department's plans for the upcoming school year, and some parents are understandably upset about this. Unfortunately, some are misinformed and mistakenly blame the School Committee for this situation.

The simple fact is that the reason for the delay of All Day K was the outcome of the May 16 Financial Town Referendum vote. The School Committee and Budget Committee put forth a budget that funded all priorities, including ADK, for a small tax increase. Petitioner Justin Katz, a longtime opponent of public education, cynically put forth an alternative budget that cut the funds intended for ADK. He and his allies spent thousands to push this plan. Despite warnings from the School Committee that approval of Katz's plan would jeopardize ADK, a majority of the 20% of voters who turned out to vote approved it. 80% of voters stayed home.

Katz had falsely claimed that the School Department had huge surpluses that could fund ADK. The School Department had made clear that these funds were in fact spoken for, and that Katz's budget cuts had eliminated any rainy day funds. Still, Mr. Katz continues to deceive anxious parents with baseless claims that the School Committee is playing politics. All Mr. Katz has ever done is use our students as political pawns, and this is his latest chapter.

Anyone paying attention would know that the School Committee has fought hard to fund ADK for years, often thwarted by shortsighted budget cuts endorsed by Mr. Katz. They fought hard for the Budget Committee budget to insure they could fund ADK. But Mr. Katz is now attempting to use parents to pressure the School Committee to play one group of students against another, since the only way to fund ADK is to take funds from somewhere else. The School Committee has properly rejected this attempt to hurt one student to help another. But Katz continues to point fingers at others and create fantasies of hidden money to cover up the damage he caused.

So who killed All Day K? Simply put, it was Justin Katz and his allies, as well as all who voted for his proposal's shortsighted cuts to save a few dollars, and the 80% of voters who didn't take the opportunity to vote in support of ADK. 

No doubt the School Committee will continue to seek ways to fund ADK that don't involve recklessly stealing funds from other needs. Unlike Mr. Katz, their priority is students, not political agendas. They'll need the support of those who are only now realizing the destructiveness of Mr. Katz's budget scheme. Mr. Katz succeeded in getting his irresponsible plan passed, but now he has to grow up and take responsibility for the consequences and stop blaming and deceiving others for his actions.

Brian Medeiros
Tiverton, RI

BUDGET 2 WINS FTR VOTE

Obviously, tonight's FTR results are a big disappointment. So, too, was the turnout, just around 20%, when over 60% turned out for the November election. It's a sad commentary on the level of voter participation when a 20% turnout is reported as a "large turnout".

The bottom line is that all voters could have voted on the town budget, and of those who did, the majority chose Budget 2. While every elected body and professional feels this is a mistake, that's the way elections work. 

Tiverton 1st will continue to work to inform and motivate community-minded people to get involved, run for office, and above all, to vote. Results like tonight's are frustrating, but we care too much about out town and schools and the people of Tiverton to give up.

Thank you to all who played a part in support of Budget 1, and to all who did take the time to vote. Let's take some time to determine the best path forward, and then get back to work in support of our community.

Brian Medeiros
Tiverton, RI

SATURDAY IS THE FINAL DAY TO VOTE ON TOWN & SCHOOL BUDGET / 7am-8pm at THS

Tomorrow (Saturday) is the final day for voting on the Town and School Budget at the annual FTR (Financial Town Referendum). All registered voters are eligible to vote at the High School from 7am - 8pm. Remember to bring your photo ID. Please take time from your busy schedule to help determine your town's future, and your own.

Tiverton 1st encourages every voter to get the facts and vote to approve Budget 1, the Budget Committee proposal that was put together by all three elected bodies and the professionals we pay to manage our town and school finances. It balances maintaining vital services while containing costs, and will cost the owner of a $200K home just $1.50 more per week than Budget 2, without all the negative consequences of Budget 2. 

As a community group, we rely on people who share our love for Tiverton to vote, and encourage their friends and neighbors to do the same. If everyone does their part, together we can protect Tiverton's financial stability and its future.

The backers of Budget 2 have an extreme political agenda they've been unable to enact through the regular election process. So they've hijacked this budget vote to exploit the understandable financial concerns of many residents. But as has been demonstrated, Budget 2 will not only be destructive to the town's financial stability, by raiding the town's savings and underfunding vital services, but it will ultimately cost every taxpayer more. It's a potential self-inflicted wound that will benefit no one but those spending thousands to promote it.

Town finances can be complicated. At the end of the day, the question to ask is: who do you trust? Is it the people you elected to represent you, and the financial professionals they hired to manage town finances? Or a fringe political group with a self-serving agenda?

We are all taxpayers, and demand our town government balance services and costs in a responsible way. Budget 2 backers like to tell people to "control your taxes". That's what town government has been doing for the past five years. Since the large tax increase in 2010 necessitated by inadequate savings to meet a crisis, spending and tax increases have been stable, and at historic lows. Progress has been made, and long-term plans enacted. Budget 2 will reverse this progress and bring back instability and lurching from crisis to crisis, with higher taxes and new fees as a result.

This is your chance to directly decide what kind of town you want Tiverton to be. Every vote counts, and every non-vote benefits those looking to return us to financial instability. We're better than that, and we deserve better. Please get out and vote to support Budget 1 on Saturday. Five minutes doing so can prevent years of financial crises and higher costs to all of us.

Brian Medeiros
Tiverton, RI

LETTER: TOWN COUNCILOR BRETT PELLETIER

This Saturday, May 16th marks a new FTR arrangement in the town of Tiverton. We’re ALL voting at the High School. It’s just one way the Town has found to save taxpayers money. The past 2 years have been particularly difficult to budget: massive snow storms, increasing electricity and healthcare costs, and a $600,000 budget deficit. But we made it work. We will always make it work. That is our job. It’s not a victory when we prevent bad things from happening; it’s what we have sworn to do on your behalf. It might not seem like it from national headlines, but public service is a humble endeavor. I take my responsibility to be a good steward very seriously. The only way cooperative governance works is if we trust one another.

I try not to ask much from the voters of Tiverton. Today, I simply ask for your trust. Many of you trusted me enough to elect me three times to the Town Council. I now ask that you trust that I’m working for your own best interests and the best interests of your children, grandchildren, neighbors, and even those yet to come. Our new Town Administrator has a passion for public service, and coupled with our revised budget and capital planning, we are starting to find more than one year’s solutions to multi-year problems. This planning will address what we can do today to make the next 10 years progressive, not regressive. That work is reflected in our Budget #1. Some would have you believe that we’re all stupid, fatuous, and irresponsible. I can tell you there is nothing further from the truth and I would suggest that those willing to stand up and work for you and take such name-calling and hostility do so out of a willingness to help their fellow citizens.

I’m prone to quoting Churchill so here goes... “Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried… No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried.…” I know it’s not perfect, but it’s the system we’ve all agreed on; don’t take the legs out halfway through. I ask that you all vote for Budget #1 on Saturday. I spent a lot of time and energy, along with a lot of other public servants, in thinking about it, analyzing it, and presenting it. It works, it’s responsible, and it serves the best interests of the residents of the town of Tiverton and it lets your public servants do just that…serve the public.

Thank you.
Brett N. Pelletier

VOTING ON THE BUDGET CONTINUES TODAY AT TOWN HALL FROM 7am - 8pm. PLEASE TAKE FIVE MINUTES TO VOTE FOR BUDGET 1

Every vote counts in this FTR Budget vote to save our town's financial stability and vital services. Please take five minutes to do your part, and encourage everyone you know to do the same. Every voter who fails to vote plays into the hands of those spending big bucks to push Budget 2's fiscal irresponsibility and political agenda. We're better than that as a community, and together we can keep Tiverton moving forward.

APPROVE BUDGET 1 / THE BUDGET COMMITTEE PROPOSAL
Preserve vital town and school services without raiding the town's savings

LETTER: TDTC CHAIR MIKE BURK

On May 16^th, I urge Tiverton voters to support Budget #1.  This budget, prepared by dozens of elected and appointed town officials under public in many public meetings is a fair and reasonable budget that balances the needs of our community with our ability to support those needs.

The alternate Elector Petitioner’s budget, the Katz Budget, was prepared by six people behind closed doors.  By his own words, Mr. Katz never held a public meeting, never sought input from any town officials and fails to account for the differences between Tiverton and other towns when he tries to compare us to those towns.

Mr. Katz shares a picture of tax rates of surrounding communities but fails to share the significant differences in property values and the fact that Massachusetts’ tax and revenue system is vastly different than Rhode Island’s.  He fails to note that most of those Massachusetts communities have a commercial tax rate that is nearly twice as high as their residential rate – which helps to cushion the burden on residents.  He fails to share that of the Rhode Island communities noted, only Tiverton and Little Compton exempt the first $6,000 of a vehicle from the vehicle tax – a huge difference.  He fails to share that Little Compton has both a higher aggregate overall property value than Tiverton and also has few town services, and no high school.

Mr. Katz supposedly is a proponent of transparency in government but it is okay for him to present a budget written behind closed doors.  While Budget #1 clearly shows how the town plans to spend our tax dollars, the Katz budget does not.  Limited space does not allow me to show you all of the fallacies of the Katz budget.  Please support Budget #1 on May 16^th.

Sincerely,

Mike Burk

Chairman, Tiverton Democratic Town Committee

VOTING ON TOWN BUDGET (FTR) BEGINS TODAY (THURS MAY 14)

Voting for those who may not be able to vote in Saturday's Financial Town Referendum (FTR) to determine the town and school budgets is available at Town Hall today (Thurs) and Friday from 7am-8pm. All registered voters who may not be able to vote Saturday can take advantage of this opportunity.

Those pushing Budget 2 were unable to enact their self-serving agenda at November's General Election, and are now spending thousands to get it through at this FTR vote. They are counting on a low turnout, like last year's 18% turnout, to slip this past the majority who understand the self-destructive nature of using the town's savings to fund the budget. The negative consequences of Budget 2 will be long-term and wide-ranging, and all of us will be dealing with them for years to come.

To prevent that outcome, each of us needs to to get out and vote for Budget 1, and encourage friends, family and neighbors to do the same. It takes all of us to preserve the community we live in. Every vote counts, so do your part for a sane and stable financial future.

TOWN TREASURER DENISE SAURETTE: BUDGET 2 WILL COMPROMISE GOAL OF CAPITAL PLANNING

"Insanity: Doing the Same Thing Over and Over Again and Expecting Different Results"

This infamous maxim certainly applies to Tiverton’s recent practice of dipping into savings to stabilize taxes.

In the not too distant past, Tiverton had a history of using the unreserved general fund to offset taxes. Once stripped to the minimum, this practice ultimately resulted in unusually large tax increases and a reserve that dipped below the charter requirement. Apparently there are some folks who have not learned from that mistake, and continue to propose unsubstantiated changes to the budget committee budget AND take from the reserve.

Now many are blasting Tiverton for having a net surplus each year, but at the same time criticizing the lack of capital improvement and long term plans. The fact is these two issues go hand in hand, realizing a surplus at the end of any budget season, allows management the ability to plan.

Each time a petition withdraws from the unreserved general fund, our goal of capital planning is compromised. This practice whittles away at any opportunity to use those funds for the good of the entire town – a paving program or perhaps replacing heavy equipment without having to finance the purchase? A “Band-Aid” approach does not work here. We need long term planning and long term goals.

The recent elector petition compares Tiverton’s tax rate with our neighboring communities. It is disingenuous to compare solely based on the RE tax rate. There are a number of factors that contribute to the final calculation of the RE tax rate: Population, housing units, Real Property levy & rate, Commercial Property levy & rate, and the percent of State Aid received. Furthermore, each of these communities offers a different degree and level of service – contributing to a significantly different quality of life!

Portsmouth has a lower tax rate, and their proposed budget includes not only a $250K appropriation to fund their goal of a 16% Fund Balance but a $1M for road improvements. Interesting, it appears that allowing Town Management to do its job - build reserves and plan for the future - may actually result in a lower tax rate.

Stop harping on past mistakes, embrace the new administration, look to the future and “Let them do their Job!”

Denise Saurette

Tiverton Treasurer 

TOWN TREASURER: BUDGET OPTION 1 IS RIGHT FOR THE TOWN

“Millions” of dollars in reserves and annual surpluses in the “six” figures –

Yes the Town has $2.524 million in the unreserved fund balance at the end of FY2014 – and yes the town has had “six-figure” annual surpluses at the end of the last few fiscal years – but let’s put that into perspective.

· That fund balance does not reflect the $600K reserve withdrawal for FY2015

· While our charter requires a minimum unreserved fund balance of 3%, our actual unreserved fund balance figures at a modest 5.07%.

· Based on the most recent quarterly report to the Office of Municipal Affairs, our projected unreserved fund balance will drop to $1.8 million, just .85% above the minimum requirement

What follows is a review and analysis of each of the “Six-Figure” surpluses that the town realized in the last three fiscal years.

In FY2014, we had 3 significant UNANTICIPATEDitems – Pension Aid from the State ($74,510), we realized interest from a few very old Surety Bonds ($53,281) and Savings from Refinancing the TIF Bond ($95,828). These 3 items totaled $223,619 or 91.3% of the $245,038 Actual Surplus in FY2014.

In FY2013,we had 4 significant UNANTICIPATEDitems – The Sale of Ranger & Nonquit schools ($101,700), an increase in Ambulance billing ($75,000), an increase in State Aid ($39,534) and a reconcilation of outstanding items ($111,868). These 4 items totaled $328,102 – more than the $300,164 Actual Surplus for FY2013.

In FY2012, we had 4 significant UNANTICIPATEDitems – Revenue from Debt Service Reserve Fund ($12,055), Recycling Revenue ($38,017), an increase in tax interest ($60,791), Savings in Fire Dept. personnel & overtime ($84,751) and Savings from Police Dept. Deputy Chief ($34,859). These 4 items totaled $230,473 – more than the $218,006 Actual Surplus for FY2012.

If you take a moment and review the Actual Surplus for each year and the relatedUNANTICIPATEDitems for that year, you will note that HAD THOSE ITEMS NOToccurred – the bottom line would have been much different – this is “Balanced Budgeting At Its’ Best.” Each year, the surplus was less than 1% of the entire budget, a significantly difficult task, considering the size & complexity of our budget.

I believe that a budget for our Town, vetted by all the Department Heads, the Town Administrator, the Town Clerk, the Town Council and the Budget Committee deserves your support and your vote. Budget Option #1 is what is right for the Town!

Denise Saurette
Tiverton Treasurer

SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEMBER JAMES ARRUDA: "VOTE BUDGET #1 FOR FISCAL SUSTAINABILITY"

On May 16th please consider voting for budget #1 for fiscal sustainability. The petitioner budget has conveniently left out some information while comparing Tiverton to its neighboring communities. Thus far the focus has been on the tax rates of those communities and how Tiverton is much higher, and the answer is to offset the tax increases with taking money out of our general fund. Here is a short list of what other communities have in their respective general fund/reserve account:

Portsmouth – 9% (8% is the town policy but in their Financial Report, dated June 23, 2014, suggests to increase their reserve funds up to 16% as recommended by the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA). See link for reference: https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url…)

Little Compton – 12% (A per their policies as reported by their budget committee report to for the Financial Town Meeting. As from the report: targets an unrestricted general fund balance equivalent to 12% of annual budgeted expenses (a level which we believe is appropriate to preserve our Town’s creditworthiness). I will note that this was from May of 2013 for the FY2014 budget and still followed.)

Westport – 3% (I wasn't going to compare a Massachusetts town, but since the petitioner did, so will I. Here is an excerpt from a report done by the Massachusetts Department of Revenue from their Division of Local Services: The board initiated the request because the town’s past practice of
using non-recurring revenues to support ongoing operating expenses is not fiscally sustainable. As a
result, Westport has had significant structural deficits. The date of this report is October 2014) Link: https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url…

Tiverton – 3% (currently by charter, but a policy was put in place by David Nelson and Rob Coulter to increase the general fund balance by 0.5% per year up to 5.0%)

I included the Westport findings to show the path we are being put on, which is a path of Non-Fiscal Sustainability. We do not want to get in the practice of having to go to bond or to borrow for capital expenditures. So I urge voters to please consider the ramifications of these budgets we will be voting on this Saturday. Our Town Administrator said it best “Don't take from the college fund to by a happy meal so that you can be a hero today, at the cost of sacrificing the future.”

Lastly, as a newly appointed member of the school committee, I also want to point out that All-Day Kindergarten HAS TO BE FUNDED in order to receive the increase in state aid. It is NOT, and I repeat, IS NOT a one time expense. The program has to be budgeted every year in order to receive the additional funds from the state to offset the costs. Saying the school department can just use its reserve funds to fund a re-occurring expense is NOT FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE, especially when there are buildings that need extensive repairs.

James Arruda
Tiverton School Committee