Canton Finance Committee is Looking for a Few Good Members
Are you a numbers person who lives in Canton and do you have an interest in serving your local community? If so, we could use your help on the Finance Committee. Our mission is to understand the financial implications of the warrant articles addressed in the Annual Town Meeting (each May), voice our opinion on those articles (including the fiscal year budgets for all town departments), and interpret them for the Town’s voters so they can make informed choices.
The time commitment is not burdensome. We meet for a couple of hours about once every few weeks during our “off season” (June thru January). We meet a couple of nights a week for a few hours in the “run up” to Town Meeting (February to April). Finally, we participate in Town Meeting (usually 2 nights or so each May).
The ideal Finance Committee member is someone who can listen, think strategically, and ask pertinent questions to sort out the facts to determine the implications of all financial issues impacting the town. We collaborate closely with the Town Finance Director and his staff and we meet with the major department heads and proponents of various articles.
We understand that there are many parties that have an interest in the Town budget from Town employees to citizens that are the voters and Taxpayers in Canton. We seek to balance these interests with available tax revenues while always maintaining a fiscally conservative mindset. We are mindful that the economy is cyclical and we must retain prudent financial reserves while living within Proposition 2 ½. Maintaining superior bond ratings ensures that we keep interest rates as low as possible on necessary borrowings.
If you have an interest in serving, please contact Town Meeting Moderator Richard Staiti at fincom@town.canton.ma.us. Thank you for your consideration and we hope to see you on the committee!
Rob Barker, Chairman
Tim McKenna, Vice Chairman
