Guest Post: Steve Sanders for Amherst Town Board
Tags: Amherst Town Board, Economy, property taxes, reform, Steve Sanders, taxes
To hear people speak at the town board meeting last Monday night, one would think that everyone in the Town of Amherst would like to see property taxes go up so that we don’t have to lay off any employees. I am mindful of the effects of layoffs on employees and their families. Any proposal that affects a person’s livelihood must not be taken lightly. While I am greatly concerned about the effect on services if the originally proposed cuts were made, I am equally concerned about keeping taxes at a reasonable level. I believe that there are many residents of Amherst who think that their taxes are too high already and want to see budget cuts made so that taxes don’t rise.
Now, I know that I can’t have it both ways. I can’t, under the current circumstances, both keep taxes down and continue the current level of services. I am prepared to accept a small tax increase this year to make sure that the streets are still plowed, the leaves are still collected and the police remain on the beat. But I believe that with some corrections to the budget process, reform of how the town government operates and more competitive bidding of goods and services purchased by the town, we can avoid tax increases for the next four years.
In fact, as a candidate for Amherst Town Board, I am prepared to go on the record, refusing to vote for a tax increase for the next four years if that is what the residents of this town really want. To express this approval, all they have to do is vote for me as well as other candidates willing to make a similar commitment. I believe that with a more professional board, we can make improvements to our town that will save money in the short term and more importantly the long term. Here are a few of the ideas (not necessarily all my own) I would like to see implemented to achieve those goals:
- Start the budget process in January. Current councilmember, Mark Manna, once told me that everything else you do as a board member is just a prelude to the budget. Since this is the most important role of the board, then they should be working on it all year long. The Supervisor should not be left to craft the budget by himself. The board members, as liaisons to the different departments, should play an integral role in the development of the budget. More communication between the board and the departments will greatly increase the odds of uncovering opportunities to decrease costs or increase revenues.
- Make sure that all departments are taking full advantage of the Purchasing Department. We need to make sure that we are getting the best prices on all purchased goods and services. The post of Purchasing Director was created to save the Town money, so let’s make sure that he is being utilized to the absolute fullest.
- Carefully analyze all services provided by the Town. We need to make sure that the Town is not involved in activities better suited to private businesses and that the services provided are provided at competitive costs. This is probably the trickiest of them all. You can’t just look at the revenue and expenses related to each activity. You must consider the intangible benefits of having the service performed by the Town, the fixed costs that won’t go away even if you stop providing the service, the indirect costs to other departments that relied on the service, etc. This requires significant understanding of cost accounting and budgeting. I expect that this analysis will uncover cost savings through more sharing of services between departments and other municipalities, or possibly even the merger of departments or, dare I say, municipalities.
- Take into account the effect of current events on long term budgeting. The Town does not operate in a vacuum. When the economy slowed down last year, the Supervisor should have expected that sales tax revenue and building permit revenue would have dropped as well. Furthermore, when the stock market crashed, the Supervisor should have realized that the Pension fund would take a huge hit which would result in a much larger required contribution from the Town than previously budgeted. These should not have been surprises to the Supervisor when making this year’s budget. Anticipating that expenses would jump should encourage the board to be more prudent in their current spending.
- Plan for the future. When budgeting gets tight, it is very easy to slash the repairs & maintenance and capital improvement budgets. Similarly, it is easy to lease equipment rather than buy it so the current year budget only has to absorb the lease payment rather than the full purchase price. However, in many cases, these are painfully short-sighted decisions. Every budgeting decision made by the Town should be considered on a net present value basis. This ensures that we consider the long-term ramifications of our decisions. To aid in planning for the future, I would like to see the Town of Amherst establish a Budget Committee of professionals to assist the board in making budgeting decisions.
I am sure that many of the other candidates have similar ideas and goals. My question is, who do you trust most to implement these ideas? I submit to you that a Certified Public Accountant who understands Financial Statements, Budgeting, Tax Policy, Internal Controls, Business Management, and is trusted by hundreds of clients with their most personal financial information, is ideally suited to fulfill this mission.
If you agree with me and are registered to vote in the Town of Amherst, then please commit to voting for me on November 3rd, telling two more people about me and committing them to tell two more people and so on. If you are not registered to vote in Amherst but like my message, then please pass it on to two more people. With less than two weeks left to go, we have to get the word out that Amherst does not have to operate business as usual with the constant threat of higher taxes or reduced services. A proactive board with a fresh perspective can make changes that will help improve the Town for years to come. Please help elect me to that board. Thank you.
Written by guest blogger Steve Sanders, candidate for Amherst Town Board.
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