Keith Johnson
I am running for the Weston Select Board, and I am asking for your vote.
We are fortunate to live in Weston. It is a beautiful town. We also have challenges that must and can be addressed.
If you feel, as I do, that we need fresh perspectives and new ideas, please vote for me.
Financial Reporting, Measurements and Spending
We would all benefit from knowing how efficiently we are spending our tax dollars. Weston needs to implement operational metrics for all town departments, measure each department s performance, and compare ourselves to surrounding towns where appropriate.
In the aggregate, Weston’s tax base affords us the ability to spend tax dollars in almost any amount. However, our recent and projected future growth in spending is problematic. Weston has a declining and aging population along with anemic recent growth in housing values. This will cause higher tax increases on average or mean valued households and those living on fixed incomes.
Chris Houston
This is Chris Houston, with my written statement asking Weston voters to support my re-election to the Select Board. Of course, my strongest statement for re-election is a track record of hard work, responsiveness and results over six years on the Select Board already.
For example, I’m proud of my work as the Select Board’s point person on the Old Library and Josiah Smith Tavern (JST), especially my role in successful negotiations with Historic New England to break a long stalemate, amend their preservation restriction, and allow the changes needed for public reuse. It’s exciting to see the Old Library completed for Weston s Art and Innovation Center plus the ongoing work on the JST, all as part of a welcoming, community-oriented and historical town center.
Wicked Local
TO THE EDITOR:
It s been asserted by some recently that Weston has the highest property taxes in the state, with an average tax bill that is 38% higher than the average of nine peer towns. But is this the correct way to compare property taxes between towns?
As an analogy, a recent CNBC article looked at the Fed’s latest Survey of Consumer Finances and learned that the overall average net worth of U.S. households is $748,800. But $748,000 is not truly representative of how much wealth most everyday Americans have to their name it’s way too high. The most affluent households in the U.S. skew the numbers, resulting in an average that’s well above most people’s realities. A better indicator is the overall median net worth of U.S. households, which is $121,700.