Letter to the Editor: Selectmen Encourage Residents to Support Override

Nobody likes taxes. 

What we can debate is the breadth of the services provided by taxes, and the quality, cost and efficiency of their delivery.  An operating override will be on the March 29th ballot and taxpayers will be presented with the opportunity to choose which direction they want for the future of their town and the quality of their lives. 

The #1 priority for the Board of Selectmen and Senior Management is the financial condition of Winchester.  A continued commitment to cost reductions and efficiencies is at the heart of fiscal planning.  But after great debate over the timing, amount and impact, it was agreed by all BOS members, the School Committee and the Finance Committee that an Operating Override is necessary to balance a budget that maintains services for the next three years.

Without additional revenue from an override, extreme expense cuts will be implemented and significant reductions in the quality and level of current town services, most notably in Public Safety and Education, will result. 

Education - The clearest and most significant hit would be to the Education budget.  School enrolment has grown 25% over the past 10 years and is projected to continue to grow annually at approximately 2-3%.  Special Education, a mandated cost, will grow by 20% alone next year, or two to three times the rate of spending necessary to keep pace with enrollment growth.    So certain pieces of the Education spending pie will have to take a disproportionate hit from budget cuts. Without an Operating Override, Education funding would have to be cut by more than $2million over the next three years with a loss of 27 teachers, administrators and clerical positions.   

Municipal - This parallel is even more significant at the broader town-wide level.  Remember 67% of the town’s revenues come from Property Taxes which by law cannot grow by more than 2.5% per year.   Another 10% of the town’s revenues come from Local Receipts like building permits and other fees.  This line item is economically cyclical, and so in difficult times it can be flat or even declining.  The final 10% approximately comes from State Aid and related sources.  Simply stated, we can not continue to provide the same level and quality of services with a 2.5% cap on 67% of our revenue. Without an override police and fire coverage will be reduced, the West Side fire engine and ALS ambulance service will not be available on all shifts, DPW field, street and school maintenance personnel will be reduced, and the funding necessary for Library certification and book borrowing privileges will be lost.

Over the past year, the Board and Senior Management have been dealing with the town’s fiscal issues sooner, faster and better than before.  Consider:

1. Our town is one of just 28 communities in the Commonwealth that have a Aaa” bond rating, which allows us to obtain the lowest borrowing costs available to fund long-term capital projects like the V-O School or High School.

1. Winchester’s schools were recently rated number 1 in the state in educational productivity, providing the best educational quality at the lowest cost per pupil.  At the end of the day, enrollment growth is a good problem to have.  It means people value the education system Winchester provides, want to live and move here, want to own a house and have a good quality of life. As a result, housing prices thrive.   Winchester’s housing stock has outperformed virtually 95% of the cities and towns in the Commonwealth and County during the recent years’ economic difficulties.

1. Winchester has been a statewide leader in health insurance plan design changes, avoiding over $2.0 million in cost increases.  In spite of these efforts, Healthcare represents approximately 10% of the town’s total budget and the rate of cost growth for this one expense line can in some years eat up half the town’s total revenue growth!

On Tuesday, March 29, the Board encourages all the residents to vote YES. We have a responsible, three year plan to continue to cut costs, capture efficiencies, and protect our operating reserves and core school and municipal services. It is in our unanimous view that an Operating Budget Override is in the BEST INTEREST OF THE TOWN.