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Tell a Friend to
Get the Facts
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Key Dates |
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Mon, March 17
Mon, March 24
Budget Hearing
Tues, April 8
Polls open 7 am - 8 pm
Thurs, April 10
Annual Town
Meeting begins
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Dear Friends,
This Update summarizes
the impact of the cuts to our
town services should the
override fail at the polls on
April 8th.
The information is based on the
cut list voted on at the Board
of Selectmen meeting on Monday
3/3 and conversations with the
town department heads about the
direct impact on services.
At the polls on April 8th,
our choice is simple:
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Vote YES on the override to
maintain all our town and school
services
and the quality of life that
brought us all to Wayland.
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Or
vote NO to cut all services
- and we all know once the cuts
happen, they will not come back.
All information in our SOS Updates
is reviewed for accuracy by
appropriate public officials.
Should you wish to get more
information or greater clarification
we encourage you to
contact our public officials
directly.
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Fire and Police Cuts and Impact |
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Staffing levels for emergency services
have not increased since the 1970s
despite the fact that the workload has
risen by 60% since 1980.
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1 firefighter/EMT position out of 24
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all 10 of our on-call firefighters
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2 of our 22 police officers
The result:
All these cuts add up to potentially far
slower response times for life-saving
services. Our Community Services
Officer who provides safety programs to
our teens, seniors, Neighborhood Watch
and businesses will be lost. |
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Council on
Aging Cuts and Impact |
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The Council on
Aging serves the
most vulnerable
population in
our Town.
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What we will
lose:
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One full day
of operation
(COA will
only be open
four instead
of five days
a week)
The result:
the Senior
Center will be
not be able to
field critical
calls regarding
rides for such
thing as medical
appointments,
information and
meal deliveries.
The Senior
Center receives
50 to 60 calls a
day, helping
seniors get
answers to a
wide variety of
topics from
financial and
legal advice to
health care and
transportation.
At times,
the Senior
Center
checks in on
residents
when they
miss
scheduled
services -
for example,
a delivery
from Meals
on Wheels.
With
cutbacks in
service
hours the
quality of
life for
older
Wayland
residents
and their
families
will be
dramatically
affected.
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Library Cuts and
Impact |
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Our public library - one of the first in
the Commonwealth - attracts over 119,000
visits a year, of which approximately
6,300 are for educational and cultural
programs.
What we will lose:
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Access to the library will be
severely limited:
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closed Monday mornings 9 - 12
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closed Wednesday nights 6 - 9
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closed all day Sunday
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Fewer new materials (electronic and
print)
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Fewer adult and youth programs
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Less reference desk assistance
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Program room will not be available
for non-library events.
The result:
less access to the library, longer lines
and less assistance, fewer programs, and
less availability of the program room
for community groups to use for meetings
and events. |
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Highway Cuts and
Impact |
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Staff reductions will result in
delays in road resurfacing, delays
in road maintenance and repair, and
slower response time. Over 360
complaints were lodged last year -
for everything from potholes to
downed trees. Think about the safety
issues, the impact on your car and
especially your potential car repair
costs.
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More Town Cuts |
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Park & Recreation, Building
Department, Conservation,
Selectmen's Office, Custodial, Youth
and Family Services, Health and
Town Clerk will
all be cut.
Almost all town departments
will be affected with
staffing and other resources
reduced. We will see
decreased availability of
town offices for our
permitting and other town
business. At first glance
that may not seem like much,
but when people need service
they will be faced
with potentially longer wait
times and fewer opening
hours for everything from
building permits to septic
permits.
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Debt Exclusion
Question |
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There is also a moderate debt exclusion
question on the ballot which will
cover: necessary repairs to the library,
Town Building, Station 2, some school
buildings and the Public Safety
Building; and capital items for the
Highway, Board of Health, Park & Rec,
and technology for the schools.
If the debt exclusion question is
approved, property taxes will increase
by just $40 per year for the median
assessed home and the accompanying debt
will be retired within 10 years
(over the next 10 years, the $40 will
decrease to zero). |
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What Impact will
the Override Have on My Taxes? |
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For the median assessed home in Wayland
($544,400):
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If the operating override passes at
the polls,
property taxes will increase by
$323.
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If the debt exclusion override
passes at the polls,
property taxes will increase by
$40and decrease to zero as the debt
is paid off over the next 10 years.
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Whether or not the overrides pass,
taxes will increase by $204.
If the override passes, this will
mean a total increase of $527 to the
permanent tax base on the median
assessed home.
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What's Next? |
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The operating override and
a moderate debt exclusion
override will be on the
ballot at the polls
on Tuesday, April 8th
and the budget (including
operating and capital
budgets) will be voted on at
Annual Town Meeting
which begins on Thursday,
April 10th at
7:30 at the High
School Field House. |
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How You Can Help |
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Stand up and be counted.
Show that you care about our
town, the welfare of
our neighbors and the quality of
life that Wayland offers to all
its residents.
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Vote Yes for the override at the
polls
on Tues, April 8th
between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m.
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Go to Town Meeting
on Thurs, April 10th
at 7:30 p.m. to approve the
budget
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Spread the word
- tell your friends and
neighbors how critical this vote
is to our lives - forward this
email
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Volunteer
- together we can demonstrate
that we live in a town that
cares. Contact
info@soswayland.org.
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Donate
- whatever you can spare - $20,
$200 or more - getting the word
out costs money - for fliers,
envelopes and stamps. Make your
check out to Save Our Services
Ballot Question Committee (SOSBQC)
and mail it c/o Lisa Valone at
38 High Rock Rd. Wayland.
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High School Update |
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Town representatives met with the
state on February 13th.
The state will work with the HSBC
towards a plan to address the many
structural challenges of the High
School. The state will review the
work that was done previously
(feasibility studies, etc.) to see
if it can be used in this process
and hopefully shorten the timeline.
Over the next 12 months, the
state and the town will work to
define a project
that will meet state regulations
and qualify for approximately
40% reimbursement. The Town
would then vote on the project.
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Save Our Services Ballot Question
Committee (SOSBQC) is affiliated with
SOS, a grass roots coalition with a
mission to preserve Wayland's services
and quality of life in a fiscally
responsible manner.
Our short-term goal through SOSBQC is to
pass an operating override in April 2008
that will maintain all town services. |
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March 6, 2008