It doesn't look like town in dire need of financial help

YOUR LETTERS: It doesn't look like town in dire need of financial help

To the editor: I was very pleased with the presentation by Finance Director Randy Scollins and Town Manager Kevin Paicos in regard to the financial state of the Town of Foxborough at the Selectmen's meeting on January 10th. It appears that the Town of Foxborough is in good shape thanks to the wise and prudent management models of the past and present town officials who put the town on a path of real fiscal responsibility.

Yes, we have debt, as do all communities, because there is no such thing as a debt-free town. However, this debt is divided into two parts, (1) That which is necessary for the running of the Town (salaries, insurance, ordinary fixed costs, etc.) and (2) That which is necessary for improvement, replacement and maintenance (library, schools, other town buildings and properties).

There is not much that a town can do about the first type of debt because it costs money to run a town in the same way that it costs a homeowner money to run a household. Fixed costs are fixed costs.

The second type is arbitrary: "We can do it now or we can do it later, but it has to be done sometime." or "It would be really nice for the town to do this." Lumped together, the sum is high, but the real question is, "Do we have reasonable debt or are we catastrophically in debt?" I would venture to say that the Town of Foxborough has reasonable debt for what it offers to the townspeople who choose to live here.

Any arbitrary debt taken on by the Town was approved by the voters of the Town with the expectation that the Town could reasonably handle the financial obligation due to the Town's financial situation, present and future, as presented by town officials. The voters took a leap of faith that the Town was, and would continue to be, on good financial footing because of prudent fiscal management.

So, I would like to know why Mr. Harrington continues to suggest that our town is in dire financial straits and needs Mr. Kraft and Mr. Wynn to save us through the siting of a casino in the Town of Foxborough? As a representative of the Town of Foxborough, he has an obligation to present the real facts and not misleading ones to bolster his argument.

Ginny Coppola