By Keith Regan, Contributing Writer
Westborough–Tensions between growth and fiscal prudence, the town's history and its increasingly diverse present and future, drove hours of debate at the Annual Town Meeting March 15, where even small budget line items sparked impassioned discussion, though in the end voters largely endorsed the recommendations of town leaders.
An $89 million operating budget for fiscal year 2015 passed by voters was the one recommended by the Advisory Finance Committee. All of the capital items put forward – including new cruisers, a new police and fire radio tower and bathroom renovations at the Westborough Public Library – were approved by the 200 or so voters who turned out for the meeting.
Voters also funded the schools at the requested level of $43.9 million, turning back last-minute efforts by other voters to reduce the education budget or set aside some of it for an outside review of the district's spending.
First-time Moderator John E. Arnold moved voters methodically through the warrant, with a handful of articles, including some relatively minor budget line items, accounting for most of the discussion.
A $6,000 expenditure in the Council on Aging budget to fund a part-time outreach coordinator's position aimed at reaching the town's elderly Asian population led to a half-hour of debate, with the Board of Selectmen arguing that the position was not needed and comes at a time when departments are being asked to hold the line on spending.
Senior Center Director Alma Demanche said the growth of the town's Asian community has been something she has been tracking for all of her 30 years at the center, adding that a high language barrier makes it difficult for many such seniors to be active participants in the community.
“This is a very small amount to help a very large segment of the population,” she said.
Fire Chief Walter N. Perron spoke in favor of the program, saying he had seen the benefits of improved communication first-hand. He also joined others who said the town should provide more support to its overall senior population.
“The Council on Aging is the major department with the lowest budget,” he said. “I just question how we can sit here and say let's not spend that money to help our seniors. This is a unique, professional town. Let's support our seniors.”
Voters also went back and forth over the Historic Commission's personnel budget, which Town Manager Jim Malloy said was one of the only budget items not to be reduced as cuts have been made in recent years and that the Commission was handling responsibilities – such as curating town artifacts – that most communities leave up to their Historical Society.
“It's just excessive,” he said.
“Westborough is an historic town,” commission member Hazel Nourse said in response. “It seems to me and the rest of the commission that keeping that history alive is an important service to provide to the town and the public.”
In the end, voters embraced a compromise that reduced administrative hours for the department from 20 hours a week to nine hours weekly, rather than the 10 hours per month? level the selectmen had backed.
After the meeting, Arnold said the debate remained civil even as it got heated at times. ????”That's the whole goal of Town Meeting, to talk about our issues and ideas and not to necessarily attack the people having other ideas,” he said.
