Urgent Need in Belmont -- Strategy to Reduce Expenses

“Power over others is weakness disguised as strength.”

Eckhart Tolle

This newsletter is the second in our Better Budgeting, Smarter Spending series, returning to the Collins Center Report to highlight the recommended changes Belmont Town Officials have chosen to prioritize. Their direction is clear: Greater power to Town Officials, taking choice and power away from you, the citizens and voters. Notable examples follow.

• Changed the Town Treasurer from elected to appointed position, reporting to the Town Administrator. With strong advocacy from the Select Board and Town Administrative staff, the move to an appointed Treasurer was rushed to be placed on the April 2023 ballot. The campaign to make the Treasurer appointed coincided with the retirement of Belmont's elected Treasurer, who had served Belmont in that role for 18 years. Confusingly, the April 2023 ballot also included an option to elect a Treasurer. Not surprisingly, no one came forward to run for Treasurer with the elected role in jeopardy. Although there were write-in candidates voted by Belmont citizens, town officials immediately appointed an interim Treasurer while interviewing candidate for the permanent position.

• There is a current campaign by Town Officials to change the Tax Assessor from an elected to an appointed position, reporting to Town Administration. Again, with strong advocacy from town officials, Town Meeting will meet in January 2024 to vote on placing this as a ballot question to change the Town Assessor from an elected to an appointed position. Again, this is removing choice from the Belmont voters.

• The most recent Select Board sponsored initiative, voted in the Fall 2023 Special Town Meeting, removed the Patrolman's Union from Civil Service, placing hiring, promotion, and disciplinary authority with the non-union Police Chief, and with no replacement plan in place. This is again an erosion of independent oversight and a consolidation of power to town employees.

This march to centralize power in town administration comes with increased expenses, due to annual compensation and benefits for the new appointed positions, and with costs associated with leaving Civil Service.

Where should Town Officials be focusing?

Let's look at Collins Center Report for two important findings and recommendations:

1. Page 23: The Town lacks a comprehensive strategy for reducing overall expenses. -- Recommendation 2.2 The Town should develop a comprehensive strategy to restructure departments, services, employee benefits, fixed and variable expenses, and wages.

2. Page 20: The Audit Committee lacks an appropriate level of independence, while the Capital Committees have too much autonomy. Recommendation 1.6.1 The Audit Committee should be appointed by the Moderator to provide a check on the finance officers.

In other words… There is no strategy for reducing expenses in the town or school. There is no independent audit of our finances and spending.

Belmont is hurtling toward a "very big" override, to quote town officials. These two Collins Center recommendations must be immediately and urgently prioritized.