Wrentham Selectmen Approve Debt Exclusion Special Election

The Wrentham Board of Selectmen will let voters decide whether to use debt exclusion to help bridge the town's budget gap.

The decision was made at Tuesday night's meeting, with a crowded room of spectators interested in the measure. If voters approve the measure, it would remove some of the town's debt (accrued from the town hall and public safety building projects) outside the Proposition 2 1/2 levy limit.

Finance Committee Chairman Jerry McGovern said his committee had decided a vote was warranted, given the current $1 million deficit.

"I don't see any other way of closing the gap without making significant cuts," he said. "I think it should be put to the ballot."

McGovern said the town's departments had been level-funded for several years. This, he said, represents a cut, as expenses such as salaries and fuel increase every year. He added, though, that his committee does not yet have a position on the measure itself.

"I'd suggest that it's too soon to make a decision to advocate for one side," he said. "We're still putting stuff together."

Selectman Chairman Joseph Botaish said the board would only be deciding if the matter should be put to a vote, not if a debt exclusion is warranted.

"Our job is to decide whether to put it out to the people," he said. "I would ask the board to be neutral — it's ultimately your decision."

Board member Stephen Langley said he disagreed with such thinking.

"I think we're elected to provide what we think about certain items before the town," he said. "I think we have a moral obligation to speak our minds."

Langley said he felt override efforts had failed in the past because the board did not strongly back the measures.

"If we don't line up behind it, people will say the board does not support it," he said. "We're the ones who will have to answer why class sizes are bigger, why we don't have enough police officers and why our roads are a mess."

Botaish said he believed the board's role is to provide information to the voters, not advocate for any one side. He said some townspeople may be unable to afford the tax increase.

"We have to educate people on the pros and cons," he said. "We need to get all the information out, and let people make the right decision for them."

Selectman Michael Carroll said the town must assure townspeople that it has an adequate long-term plan to avoid such problems in the future.

"We should be working on the fiscal year 2013 budget even before town meeting," he said.

Wrentham Elementary School Committee Chairman Edward Goddard said the town had been remarkably conservative in keeping debt within its budget.

"The amount of debt outside our levy limit is only 17 percent," he said. "In other surrounding towns, it's in the 60s and 70s. Foxborough has 72 percent of its debt outside the levy limit."

The question was raised as to whether the townspeople should be allowed to choose between different amounts of debt exclusion. The board decided, though, that confusion could result.

The board unanimously approved the vote, setting a special election for Saturday, June 4.