July marks the beginning of the Town’s new fiscal year; and in preparation, your Board of Selectmen have been working on our FY 2014 Goals and Objectives. I want to thank my colleagues on the Board, our Town Administrator and his staff, and the many citizens who attended our public hearing last week to provide valuable input.
This year’s Goals and Objectives are ambitious, yet I believe necessary to confront a number of short-term and long-range challenges that lie before us. A theme that runs through many of the objectives is that of sustainability and what we must do to ensure preservation of the unique character of the Town and its citizens.
The Board of Selectmen have identified 30 objectives that are organized around six broad goals:
- Town Finance: Truro will have a budget that provides for essential services, minimizes budgetary growth, and is sustainable over the long term. The Board will explore a number of options for expanding revenues in ways that don’t rely on property taxes, and the Board will continue to look for reductions in costs through efficiencies and collaboration with neighboring towns.
- Long-Range Planning: Truro will use planning as a means to prepare for the future, identify problems and roadblocks as a way of informing effective solutions and policy, prioritize resources, develop thoughtful public policy, coordinate services, and to educate and engage citizenry. We intend to have the Charter Review Committee propose changes to the Town’s Charter, and we will appoint a Committee to update the Town’s Local Comprehensive Plan.
- Environment: Truro will do all it can to protect the environment and natural resources, including continued work on restoring the Herring River; developing long-term solutions for the Pamet River Valley and Balston Beach; and repairing the Route 6 culvert to enhance tidal flow to East harbor.
- Town Services & Public Safety: The Town services of Truro will provide for current and anticipated needs of its citizenry through the provision of services, including public safety, in a state-of-the-art fashion that utilizes best practices and that is efficient and affordable. We will work with an Advisory Committee and a consultant to develop a long-term plan for Fire and Rescue Services, and, with the Board of Health & Recycling Committees, to identify ways to reduce the cost of solid waste disposal.
- Outreach, Community Relations and Communication: Truro will have an open government that engages and involves its citizenry. We will improve the Town’s website and identify other strategies to better inform Truro’s residents. The Board of Selectmen, Town employees, and all our citizens who serve on boards and committees will take steps in the coming year to ensure we are in compliance with the Commonwealth’s Open Meeting Law, Public Records Law and Ethics Law.
- Town Administration: Our Town Administration will utilize best practices, be of an appropriate size, have a staff that is adequately and fairly compensated, utilize inter-governmental cooperation when appropriate, and be sustainable. The Board of Selectmen will negotiate labor agreements with all the Town’s collective bargaining units in the coming year, and the Town Administrator will conduct a review of all job descriptions covered under the Personnel By-law.
The Goals and Objectives will receive final approval by the Board of Selectmen at our July 16th meeting. A copy will be available on the Town’s website. I look forward to reporting on our progress in the coming months.
Thank you and Happy Fourth of July.
Sincerely,
Jay Coburn
Chair, Board of Selectmen
jcoburn@truro-ma.gov
(508) 349-7004