In anticipation of the start of Town Meeting, Arlington Public News introduces a comprehensive new series – “Your Arlington Dollar.” The goal is to shed light on the entire budget process in Arlington, and to clarify where the money for town services and operations comes from, and where it’s going. Our approach to doing so will encompass:
- point-counterpoint style debates with expert panelists;
- interviews with prominent contributors to the budget process;
- introductions to the various tools Arlington residents can use to access important information; and
- analyses of the different committees and agencies that shape our town’s budget.
Segments that have already been completed include:
- point-counterpoint discussions about the budget cycle and the adoption of the Community Preservation Act (CPA);
- a conversation with Arlington’s Town Manager about the various tools available for residents to inform themselves about how their money is being spent; and
- an investigation into the proposal to create a new Director’s position in town, that of Facilities Maintenance Director.
You can easily access all the installments in this series through this link, http://news.acmi.tv/category/your-arlington-dollar/, which will take you to the appropriate Category on the APN website.
Our Regular Contributors include…
Annie LaCourt is a software systems consultant who has lived in Arlington for more than 25 years and raised two children here with her husband Mark Burstein. She is a long-time town meeting member and served as a Selectman from 2005 until 2012. Annie believes that budgets reflect values and that every tax dollar should be used effectively to further the community’s priorities.
Walter Fey is the owner of a small business – a public accounting company – who has lived and worked in Arlington for the past 30 years. He has served a couple of stints on the Finance Committee, most recently about 7-8 years ago. He currently serves as a member of the Arlington Zoning Board of Appeals. In matters of public policy, calling him a fiscal conservative would not be a lie, and he likes the idea of small rather than big government.
