Letter: It Makes Dollars and Sense

I have been on the Board of Finance since 2017 and have also had the privilege of serving on the Board of Selectmen, the Amity Board of Education, the Woodbridge Board of Education, and dozens of attendant building and ad hoc committees.  As such, I have witnessed the Budget Process from every possible angle and can assure you that when we talk about Woodbridge Finances, the focus is always on Dollars and Sense.

The Woodbridge Budget Process is public, transparent and time-tested.  Every budget cycle includes multiple public meetings where the Board of Finance hears from department heads as to both operational and capital needs.  Our town finance professionals look for every available revenue source for projects and long-term undertakings.  Thoughtful consideration is given to municipal imperatives, as well as to municipal impossibilities.

No one gets everything they want in the budget process, and we often struggle to ensure that every department gets all that they need.  Tough choices are front and center.  We are audited on a regular basis in accordance with state law, we meet or exceed accounting standards for Fund Balance, and our Finance Department is a regular A recipient of Town Finance Awards.

Simply, the budget process offers repeated opportunities for community input and is transparent in every respect.  Those who would impugn the process might, instead, support projects in town that would expand our tax base and alleviate the burden on residential properties.

After all, it just makes Dollars and Sense.