Westford is going broke slowly. That’s because the forward-looking trend shows that our expenses will consistently exceed revenue generated by property taxes, fees, and aid from state government. How did this happen? In addition to losing sight of the fundamental purpose of government, we have a propensity to approve labor contracts with unsupportable wage increases and retirement benefits as well as an inclination to borrow large amounts of money to buy vacant land and build big buildings.
There are really only two ways to resolve this predicament. You either increase revenue or you stabilize spending. Increasing revenue would mean an endless stream of Proposition 2-1/2 overrides. Stabilizing spending requires taking a more pragmatic approach to contract negotiations and prioritizing the services that Westford’s government delivers. In a nutshell, we need to differentiate between niceties and necessities.
