Dear Board members,

It is my understanding that the BOS is meeting this Saturday* to set priorities and goals for the coming year and that you will be voting on a statement of principles based on the information from the weekend budget workshop you had in October. I am glad to see that the BOS is working towards coming together to lead our town out of this fiscal crisis.

I strongly urge you to answer the hard questions and reach a consensus so we have a direction in which we are heading. I would like to know when you will make sure that all of these town boards and committees come together to make the bold decisions we need made! A few questions that I think must be answered in a united way taking into account not only what each member of the BOS thinks, but also the input from the treasurer's office, from the finance committee and from the school committee:

First, since we are using nearly $6M of our reserves this year, how much of the $5M we have left in reserves can be used this year, can any of it be used for the teacher contract negotiations, how much of the reserve money is being counted on for the following years' budgets, and if we dip into more of the reserves than already budgeted, how will that effect our financial status/bond rating?

Second, we have already extended the pension funding deadline 10 years, from 2012 out to 2022 and I understand we have an analysis that indicates that extending it out to 2028 would cost us far more money in the long run than it would be worth saving in the short term. Is there any more we can say about costs/benefits of extending the pension funding deadline out a few more years, say to 2025?

Third, we have already lost many teachers and programs from our schools and librarians and hours from our libraries. Is the O'Neill formula the most equitable way to address priorities and cuts that the town needs to make in these days of extreme financial hardship? Are fees, such as trash fees more equitable as all of us have our trash picked up. Or should we burden various fragments of our town with select user fees such as targeting children, or the elderly, or people who park in town? I think it seems fairer to institute fees that effect us all, as the select fees may effect each of us overall but at different times in our lives and thus some may bear more of a burden in bad times while that same selected group may not be asked to bear such costs in good times. In other words, I am asking you to come to a consensus on how to use and impose fees. And how to distribute cuts fairly taking into account the priorities you are setting.

I urge you to be bold and lead us in figuring out what is best for all of our town and to not forget those of us who cannot vote, our nonresident employees, our children, and our disenfranchised.

I speak as someone who cares a lot about Arlington and it's future. I have not yet lived in Arlington a full year but I hope to make it my final home.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Colleen Kirby