Seekonk Needs Strategic Planning for Town Budget

As a taxpayer, I know that the state of the economy, high prices and levels of taxation are a burden for our residents and businesses. I am committed to keeping property taxes within Proposition 2½ limits by working with the School Committee, Finance Committee and Municipal Capital Improvement Committee to ensure that services keep up with population growth without raising taxes through Proposition 2½ overrides. We need to be looking out and planning ahead for three to five years in our budgeting. The current year to year budgeting dynamics are short-sighted and reactive, and therefore we need to implement a three-year strategic plan for our operating budget.

I believe that every possible grant opportunity should be pursued to supplement tax dollars spent on capital projects and also support community efforts to solicit private donations to furnish the buildings. Building maintenance must also become a greater priority in order to preserve our capital assets and prevent the greater expense involved with having buildings fall into disrepair. The Selectmen must work with the Town Administrator, the Superintendent of Schools, the Municipal Capital Improvement Committee and the Finance Committee to develop and implement a 10-year capital improvement plan based on recommendations from the recently-completed Townwide Facility Study, recognizing also that unanticipated problems that require emergency repairs will inevitably occur. 

The town's capital budget and operating budget need to complement one other and not be in competition for limited resources. This means accepting the idea that a certain percentage of the town's overall budget must be dedicated to capital improvements to preserve building integrity and enhance energy efficiency. 

For more information on my platform got to www.bradyforselectman.com