Opening the books

In the wake of a narrowly-defeated Proposition 2 ½ override campaign, Ashland town officials are now convening a General Government/School Financial Operations Ad Hoc Committee, charged with evaluating the current fiscal operations of the town government’s finance department and the school department’s business office, according to the Boston Globe.

It may be challenging. Like most Massachusetts towns, Ashland has adopted cost-cutting measures over the last 10 years as state funding has been slashed and the costs of running schools, repairing roads and maintaining public safety have increased. Parents already pay fees for their children to ride school buses and play sports. They have closed libraries in every school except the high school.

While towns across the Commonwealth have adopted similar cost-cutting measures, the public perception of local governments as wasteful is widespread. Along with this perception comes the idea that cities and towns can bridge their structural gaps by eliminating waste.

The approach Ashland is taking underscores the lack of trust residents and even elected officials have in their town government. It also points to a remedy for this lack of trust: transparency.

By examining the town’s finances and making public their findings, hopefully these committees can show voters in the towns where their money is going and what it’s paying for.