Then Ask Your Candidates What They Really Know About Those Issues.
Choose the "Issues" button above for a list of issues I'm most concerned about.
OVERVIEW:
Through thousands of volunteer hours over the last decade, Terra has gained in-depth knowledge about most every aspect of our town's history, processes and financials and applies this fact-based information in her role as Selectman.
With this understanding, Terra is fully equipped to speak on any of the complicated issues facing Acton today and to the longer-term strategic issues that may affect our town over the next three years to include topics such as these:
Because of the lack of strategic land use planning, we're seeing our chances of achieving our Master Plan objectives evaporate
We're deficit spending by $2 million/year, at the same time our naturally affordable housing is disappearing
Over 2,000 acres "buildable" land in Acton, which is "at risk" [to be developed by developers into luxury condos, etc]
We have tens of millions of dollars of "unfunded" personnel and environmental liabilities
We're overbuilding without considering the limits of our water and our social obligations to ACTUAL affordable housing. and our Master Plan goal of increasing diversity
And at the same time, the most vulnerable are dramatically underserved
I care about how responsible land use impacts:
Long-term Financial Position
Present and Future Quality of our Schools & Social Services
Local affordability, Tax increases, and Town Staff Job Stability
Water Quality, the Environment, and Town Character
Strategic Planning and Capital Budgeting - Other Towns Have These
What is it?
Do we have it?
Do we want it?
Are privately owned "unbuilt" lands (which are vulnerable for development) considered a liability or an asset?
How does growth impact the quality of our schools, water, etc?
These are the types of questions that are asked when strategic planning and using capital budgeting and management by "balance sheet", which we are not currently doing in Acton. Planning is done on a "per project", loosely centralized basis. We are more subject to the whims of developer profit than we are by using our land-use authority to get what we want/need for our community.
Click here to review a report draft that we're writing about land use, which describes how many acres are "buildable" in our town - it may be startling to realize what Acton could look like with future development.
