LETTER: Council Chair Rebuts Candidate's Claims

As current Chair of the Farmington Town Council, I am compelled to correct alarming and irresponsible inaccuracies that were printed in your October 22 Candidate Profile with Bruce Charette. I have been involved in many elections in town (I am not running for office and am not on the upcoming ballot), and I understand the desire to make notable statements and sometimes controversial remarks. That said, there are inaccuracies regarding the financial health of our town, the use of public dollars, and the stability of our services that cannot stand in print.

In his response to the Patch’s questions, Charette cites “spending inefficiencies” as the “single most pressing issue facing our town.” In the 26 years I’ve held elected office on the Board of Education and Town Council, Farmington has been many things, but never inefficient with spending. On the school side, our administrative costs come in at 160 out of 169 towns in spending in the state (number 1 spending the most and 169 spending the least), and we share equipment and purchasing services with neighboring towns whenever possible to save time and money. The town side of the budget is especially lean, comprising only 27.3 percent of our overall annual spending. This is only possible through efficiencies.

Our efficiency is the single biggest reason why we have been able to – for decades – provide
unparalleled education and town services at one of the lowest mill rates in the Valley. In addition, Farmington has – for years – considered its infrastructure needs holistically. In 2013, a Capital Ad Hoc Committee comprised of members of the Board of Education, Town Council, FPS
administrators, and community members was formed. This committee worked through 2015 to study and report all the needs of all the K-12 facilties. The final report was complete in November 2015 and was supplemented by a professionally executed K-8 Facility Assessment Report that examined the short and long-range facility plans for each building in 2017-2018. This information was compiled with the town’s comprehensive infrastructure evaluation in 2018 to form an integrated, holistic picture from which we operate. These reports include facilities’ current conditions and projected future needs. We simply do not embark on projects in a vacuum and always have the whole picture in mind and at hand.

Charette asserts that he “reduced town spending by spearheading the effort to transition our town
workers to an HSA insurance plan.” Farmington first included an HSA insurance plan in 2012, 5 years prior to Charette’s service on Council. It was then-Council Chair Jeff Hogan who truly “spearheaded” this initiative, as I well know because I was a member of the Council at the time.

Perhaps most alarming for town residents and staff to read was Charette’s assertion that “we need to establish a stable level of town services,” and that his “plan is to stop irresponsible planning.” These comments reflect a lack of experience and understanding of our town’s processes and methods. For example, in 2005, the Council adopted its first comprehensive Strategic Plan, which was updated in 2014 after a town-wide survey. This survey gathered input on citizen priorities that formed the basis of the updated plan.

Farmington’s financial health is in excellent shape. By objective, measurable standards, our service levels as well as our planning is exceptional. We know this because our highest possible Aaa bond rating takes such levels and planning into account.

Charette says, “a community supported budget should be the norm, not the goal.” A community
supported budget is our norm. Farmington town residents have approved the town budget in every single referendum from 2013 to the present. Our norm is the community overwhelmingly supporting our spending and service levels and the unique balance thereof. It is inaccurate to suggest otherwise.

Farmington’s strong financial policies are considered a model for best practices in municipal
governments and have been for many years. I encourage voters to learn the facts regarding the town’s widely recognized efficiencies, stable service levels, outstanding financial health, and smart planning, and to reach out to me with any questions or for more detail on the above.

Nancy Nickerson
Farmington Town Council Chair

Patch welcomes letters to the editor on any topic, and reserves the right to edit letters for brevity or clarity. Note: no more political letters will be accepted this campaign season. Email letters, including the writer's name, address and phone, to tim.jensen@patch.com.