Suggested Cuts

Every tax is a pay cut. Every tax cut is a pay raise.
Citizens for Limited Taxation

Suggested Cuts

Stop Hiring
A hiring freeze should be implemented immediately.

Freeze or cut salaries
A freeze in salaries should be put in place immediately.
Pay cuts would be better than layoffs.

Cuts in staff
This is the most obvious since the town staff (including schools) has grown enormously during this stock market bubble.
In essence, we have hired people using state aid that is now diminishing. We can no longer afford these employees. This is the only viable long term solution.
A ten (10%) percent cut across the board can be easily done with no visible change in services. We saw no change in service when they hired over 500+ people in the last 7 years. Town employment is now close to 2300 full/part time people. The town population is 67,500.

Health Insurance
The town employees should bear a bigger share of their health insurance costs based on their ability to pay. The current cost of the town's health insurance is $17 million and climbing rapidly. This is 11% of the entire General Fund.

Eliminating questionable positions
For those positions that have an assistant position but would require a search to replace, get rid of the assistant position. If the assistant is not capable of stepping up to the plate, then s(he) should not have been hired. There should an assistant to the position. This includes at minimum, the following positions:

Assistant Town Manager
Assistant School Superintendent
Assistant CFO

Get rid of the Downtown Manager position. Haven't we got enough something town manager positions? Will we soon have suburb managers?

Cutting Costs
Why are we holding onto a large building in downtown that holds the Danforth Museum. We are not in a financial position to subsidize a museum. In fact, it's a poor museum.
Why are we running an ice skating rink? Sell the Loring Arena.
Sell some properties we do not use.
Why are town DPW vehicles plowing church lots? On overtime, yet?

Revenue Raising Ideas
School busing fees should be imposed for those not qualified for free school busing. As always, there should be exemptions for those that cannot afford such fees.

All extracurricular busing should be fee based.

I am strongly opposed to any fees for garbage collection. In a frenzied attempt to save money, the town wants to impose fees for something that is being funded by our taxes. Does this smell of double taxation?

Student parking fees at the high school.

Suggested Cuts
Stop Hiring A hiring freeze should be implemented immediately. Freeze or cut salaries A freeze in salaries should be put in place immediately. Pay cuts would be better than layoffs. Cuts in staff This is the most obvious since the town staff (including schools) has grown enormously during this stock market bubble. In essence, we have hired people using state aid that is now diminishing. We can no longer afford these employees. This is the only viable long term solution. A ten (10%) percent cut across the board can be easily done with no visible change in services. We saw no change in service when they hired over 500+ people in the last 7 years. Town employment is now close to 2300 full/part time people. The town population is 67,500. Health Insurance The town employees should bear a bigger share of their health insurance costs based on their ability to pay. The current cost of the town's health insurance is $17 million and climbing rapidly. This is 11% of the entire General Fund. Eliminating questionable positions For those positions that have an assistant position but would require a search to replace, get rid of the assistant position. If the assistant is not capable of stepping up to the plate, then s(he) should not have been hired. There should an assistant to the position. This includes at minimum, the following positions: Assistant Town Manager Assistant School Superintendent Assistant CFO Get rid of the Downtown Manager position. Haven't we got enough something town manager positions? Will we soon have suburb managers? Cutting Costs Why are we holding onto a large building in downtown that holds the Danforth Museum. We are not in a financial position to subsidize a museum. In fact, it's a poor museum. Why are we running an ice skating rink? Sell the Loring Arena. Sell some properties we do not use. Why are town DPW vehicles plowing church lots? On overtime, yet? Revenue Raising Ideas School busing fees should be imposed for those not qualified for free school busing. As always, there should be exemptions for those that cannot afford such fees. All extracurricular busing should be fee based. I am strongly opposed to any fees for garbage collection. In a frenzied attempt to save money, the town wants to impose fees for something that is being funded by our taxes. Does this smell of double taxation? Student parking fees at the high school.

For the vulnerable (elderly and disabled), the town should have a policy of helping them in snow removal to the street if no family/friend can help
There should be a limit on taxation (pay to the extent that you can). No disabled/elderly person should be forced to leave their house. Perhaps leins can be placed against houses of house rich/cash poor taxpayers? This is akin to a reverse mortgage but smaller.

If I had my way, I would cut $5 million from schools and shift it to better common services such as snow plowing, garbage collection and leaf/brush removal. It's a better investment than our schools. Can someone provide me with the name of a town in Metrowest that has worst SAT/MCAS scores than Framingham (and this is after a 55% increase in funding to the schools).

Send comments to: hjw2001@rcn.com