July 11, 2024  |  Lauren Gojkovich, for the Weston RTC

To the Editor:

The Weston RTC supports the proposed $6 million bonding program for road repair and supports the plan for paving for FY 2025 and FY 2026 using the proceeds of this bonding program as outlined in recent BOS and BOF meetings. It is our belief that (1) this expenditure is necessary to achieve appropriate road quality for the people of Weston based on the work of the paving consultants, Beta Group, and Weston’s Department of Public Works, (2) the large amount of paving in the next two years and a refined annual maintenance plan of $0.8 – 1.0M using alternative repair methods going forward will help protect taxpayers from the burden of future unexpected costs due to deferred investment, and (3) bonding for this sizeable expenditure makes sense to spread the tax burden for a capital investment of this magnitude over the estimated 20 year useful life.

We suggest (1) annually developing a 5-year plan for sustaining the road surface quality going forward as part of the long-term capital budget, (2) periodic third-party measurement to confirm that the plan is achieving the projected results and (3) avoiding any incremental road expenditure outside the approved budget. This plan would support a greener and more sustainable, fiscally responsible approach to road maintenance.

Our support is predicated on the position that no additional bonding will be put forward or approved by taxpayers in the future without long term financial projections, including an integrated 10–20-year capital budget, as well as an assessment of the level of debt that is appropriate for the Town of Weston.

Lauren Gojkovich
Chair, Weston Republican Town Committee