48°
LEWISBORO – The Lewisboro Daily Voice accepts signed, original letters to the editor. Email your letters to lewisboro@dailyvoice.com.
To the Editor:
It is undisputed that good roads are a key amenity owed by town government to its residents. But in Lewisboro, where we are just at the beginning of a fragile fiscal turnaround, any use of taxpayer money, even for a worthwhile purpose, must be carefully thought out in advance. To paraphrase a saying from a friend – government needs to spend smarter not harder.
While I applaud Supervisor [Peter] Parsons’ efforts to address re-paving in his first budget, I disagree with his open-ended approach, which would add a significant recurring expense line to each of our future budgets.
In the first place, before the Town Board was asked to allocate the additional funds, they should have been presented with a properly developed engineering plan that assessed each road, determined the best method for restoration and objectively prioritized the plan of action. It is my understanding that this is now being done with the cooperation of Highway Superintendent Peter Ripperger.
However, once such a plan is developed and accepted, and the amount of funding required for the project is quantified, the project would more properly be funded through a bond offering using a conservative estimate for the useful life of the roads and taking advantage of the record low interest rates available for municipal capital projects. It is my understanding that this would also guarantee the money would be used for the repair of the roads and could not be re-allocated for any other purpose.
While the issuance of a bond may require a taxpayers' vote, this should not be perceived as a negative. If the need for the requested funds is properly explained and the plan is a good one, I am confident that our residents will lend their support.
Andrea C. Rendo
Lewisboro Republican Town Committee Chair
Click here to follow Daily Voice Lewisboro and receive free news updates.
