Wrentham Debt Exclusion Recap

The town of Wrentham is holding an election today to determine if it should use debt exclusion to solve some of its budget issues.

In the interests of providing as much information as possible to the town's citizens, here is a recap of Wrentham Patch's coverage on the issue.

News Articles

March 16: Wrentham Selectmen Debate Debt Exclusion to Curb Deficit — As the budget process went on, it became apparent that the town would be facing a substantial shortfall.

April 13: Wrentham Elementary School Committee Discusses Ways to Bridge Budget Gap — The town's elementary schools, faced with the prospect of making over $400,000 worth of cuts, discussed several options to arrive at a level-funded budget.

April 20: Wrentham Selectmen Approve Debt Exclusion Special Election — Eventually, town officials learned that Wrentham would be unable to provide a level-funded budget without either substantial cuts to services or additional money.  A decision was made to put a debt exclusion measure before the town.

May 18: Board of Selectmen Remains Neutral on Debt Exclusion — Though the board voted to put the matter before voters, it decided not to make a formal recommendation to citizens. Selectmen Stephen Langley urged the board to back the measure, but Board Chairman Joseph Botaish said it is important that the board provides impartial information to the town.

June 3: Wrentham Holds Debt Exclusion Forum on Town Common — Various town officials worked to ensure information about the measure got out to local residents. At the forum, officials answered questions from townspeople.

Finance Committee Letters

The Wrentham Finance Committee published a series of letters about the budget issues facing the town.

April 7: Finance Committee on the Budget Process — The committee recaps the budget process and discusses various ways to balance the budget.

April 29: Finance Committee on Revenues Vs. Expenses — The committee explains how the town got in the current situation.

May 26: Finance Committee on the Debt Exclusion Vote — The committee discusses the impact should today's vote fail.