Acton Residents Approve FY14 Budget

Acton FINCOM member Doug Tindal had a simple financial message for residents Monday night during Annual Town Meeting: We are healthy.

And after a proposed amendment by Charles Kadlec and back-and-forth arguments from residents that lasted about an hour with the amendment being defeated by a standing vote, residents agreed with Tindal and approved the FY14 budget of $28,388,835.

"We achieved AAA rating some time ago (from Standard and Poor)," he said. "They did a second pass, but Acton did not fall out of line. The town will continue to be proactive. The town currently maintains healthy reserves and we are in a position to remain strong."

Kadlec made an argument that Acton in fact is paying too much in taxes and offered a proposal to transfer $1.6 million from free cash.

"Reserves have increased every year over the last seven years. Right now it's over $10 million," Kadlec said. "Reserves are 11 percent of the annual budget … we have sufficient reserves, not only to pay for use proposed by ALG, but an additional 1.6 that is the purpose of this amendment. Acton taxes are too high."

Tindal said the unamended budget would raise the average tax bill by 2.7 percent.

"Unemployment is still a concern," he said. "(Gov. Deval Patrick's) budget is in doubt ... it involves significant tax increases and will affect people’s incomes of $102,000 and more. The average Acton income higher than that."

Overall expenses will rise 3.2 percent from FY13, while revenue is expected to increase by only 3 percent.

"The reserves are in danger of being depleted," he said.

But Kadlec showed statistical graphs that showed the opposite.

"The current ASFH (average single family household tax bill) is $9,650," he said, which ranks 15^th highest in Massachusetts. "We’re making progress in the wrong direction."

Tindal argued nearby towns' taxes are greater than Acton's.

Both the Board of Selectmen and FINCOM did not approve of the amendment.

After a healthy debate from residents, which went to a standing vote after verbal and hand votes were unclear, the amendment failed while the original motion passed by majority vote.