The debate that erupted late Monday night at Town Meeting over the best use of free cash was an eye-opener. It laid bare a simmering mistrust of the Capital Planning and Investment Committee, and demonstrated the power of Town Meeting—people power—to have the final say. Perhaps with a few more minutes to hash out alternatives, a compromise might have been reached to safeguard some amount of free cash to cover higher-than-expected construction costs at Hildreth House, as advocates were requesting. But once the question was called, it was clear that a majority was not willing to leave that decision to CPIC and preferred keeping nearly $300,000 in free cash for appropriation by Town Meeting at a future date.
There’s a lesson here. CPIC, FinCom, and the selectmen can recommend how taxpayer money is stashed and how it is spent, but the ultimate decision will be made by voters. Without trust on all sides, the system does not work.
