1966-Annual Report - Laserfiche WebLink

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BOARD OF SELECTMEN "What now should be the position of an enlightened town such as Lexington with inflation increasing the costs of every single program and service; with the insistent demand for a kindergarten program; with the need to ac- quire open land for conservation and recreational use before that land is developed for housing; and with the obligation to maintain and advance a salary schedule for non - school administrators and employees which ade- quately recognizes their worth and their service to the town? Clearly and unmistakenly, the town's already high tax rate calls for restraint. . prudent, responsible restraint, but restraint, nevertheless. Equally clearly, the town must maintain existing values; it must consolidate pro- gress already made. What is needed, therefore, is restraint but not reaction. taken soon, is a review of the schedule of charges made by the town for the services it performs for its citizens. The fee schedule for licenses, permits, inspections, cemetery services and the like ought to be reviewed. Perhaps such services ought not be expected wholly to pay their own way. Nevertheless study is desirable to determine the degree to which the town is presently subsidizing them. At that point a policy decision can be reached as to whether amendments to the schedule are in order. Because every improvement ever made ... economic, social, or political ... represents a break with the past, change is always essential in the evolution of a better Lexington. Pressures for changes are unending but not all changes are desirable. The weighing of the good and bad qualities of proposed changes and, as far as fallible human judgment permits, the wise and timely adjustment to change in the interests of the greatest good for the greatest number .... this is the major and unceasing problem of Lexington's town government. As Lexington's Board of Selectmen our responsibility is to the entire town. In that capacity we offer the following observations on a question which is already urgent and which in the months and years ahead we believe will crystallize into Lexington's critical major problem, namely, how best to equate the pressures for social and economic change with a tax rate that taxpayers will accept as tolerable. In the past, the town has spent freely for programs and facilities believed to be desirable. Essentially the money has been well spent. However, much of the capital costs have been bonded. Roughly $1, 400, 000 is annually required to pay interest and principal on that debt. Citizens are conscious that their taxes are high but how many know that data from the State Tax Commission indicate that on an equalized 100 per cent valuation, only two of the 312 towns in the commonwealth have tax rates higher than Lexington's? With her already extremely high present tax rate and with the heavy demand for debt service, Lexington's leeway to spend money freely has become narrower and narrower. A wise determination of priorities has become increasingly essential. This brings us immediately to cases. What now should be the position of an 10