A ‘yes’ on Question 1 benefits town for years

I urge Acton voters to turn out for the special election on August 19 to vote for Article 8 (Question 1) — Debt Exclusion for Road Maintenance — which passed at Town Meeting with more than the two-thirds vote required. Article 8 received strong support from the community after fulsome debate and discussion at Town Meeting and at public meetings in front of the Select Board, the Finance Committee, and the Transportation Advisory Committee, all of whom supported this article.

In addition to improved road maintenance, Article 8 will provide Public Works with funding to advance safety and transportation projects for sidewalk repair, pedestrian crossings, and intersection modifications. They will be able to plan for large-scale, multiyear projects, which allows for a more competitive bidding process and thus better value for each dollar spent on a project. This longer planning process also gives Acton more time to apply for state and federal funds and grants. Our current annual budget and planning process exclude the benefits of multiyear planning and the best criteria for grant approval.

If we continue to finance our roads program through short-term debt as we currently do, we will end up paying more money for less maintenance, and the backlog of deteriorating roads will continue without any plan to improve pedestrian and bicycle corridors around town. If Article 8 passes, we will finance the roads program with long-term debt, and the town can undertake five years of optimal planning and funding to improve road and sidewalk conditions. This will require less costly maintenance to keep them in good condition, which means that annual taxes for road maintenance will be lower over a 10-year period following this plan. Please vote “yes” for Acton.

Andrea Solomon

Ash Street

The author is the chair of the Public Works Commission, writing on her own behalf.