FC Chair: Know the facts and attend STM

By Guest

Dear Editor:

On Monday, November 20, the town of Canton will hold a Special Town Meeting in the Canton High School auditorium beginning at 7 p.m. This STM was initiated by voters in our community.

I strongly encourage you to carefully review the Recommendations of the Finance Committee to the Voters of Canton, informally referred to as the warrant. The Finance Committee considered each article carefully, working within the parameters for town meeting, and we voted in the manner we feel is in the best interest of our town. We understand that there will be many different points of view and ultimately the decisions will fall to the voters.

We do ask that you do your best to proceed with the facts. Social media and paid advertisements in this paper and others have presented information as fact that is incorrect. While we all hope for a STM that runs smoothly and can be completed in one night, the Finance Committee recommended that the meeting continue on Tuesday, November 21, if needed. Should STM continue beyond November 21 and delay the process of setting our tax rate and obtaining the required certification from the state, our town officials will do their best to have bills mailed by the December 30 deadline.

If there are delays and the tax bills cannot get out on time, the town will stand to lose about $250,000 in interest income. We will not, however, as some have stated, lose the rest of the interest income earned this year. We will not lose any tax revenue and our bond rating will not suffer. Delays will not “trigger the commencement of financial hardships” as stated in one advertisement.

While none of us want to lose $250,000 in interest income, it is important that the work of town meeting not be rushed. Voters in our town want the opportunity to be heard. They want to be safe and free from intimidation. They want to be governed well. We hope that this STM can be a first step in helping our community move forward.

Please read the warrant that arrived in the mail and bring it with you to town meeting. I strongly urge you to attend and bring your neighbors and your friends. Every vote really does matter.

Thank you for your consideration.

Cindy Thomas

Chair, Finance Committee

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