Town reports turn money drain

Voters will be asked in March whether they want to change the way the annual town report is made available to the public.
http://rutlandherald.com/article/20150103/NEWS02/701039953

Published January 3, 2015 in the Rutland Herald Town reports turn money drain By SUSAN SMALLHEER Staff Writer SPRINGFIELD — Voters will be asked in March whether they want to change the way the annual town report is made available to the public. Springfield Town Clerk Barbara Courchesne said Friday that the change was being proposed in an effort to save the town money and cut down on waste. Courchesne said every year hundreds of town reports, typically mailed, are returned to the town office, unable to be delivered by the Springfield Post Office. She said every year, in addition, she has hundreds of town reports left over. “Just today, I gave away some town reports to people who came into the office,” Courchesne said. The town’s current policy is to mail a copy of the report to each registered voter and household. She said the town prints 2,300 copies of the report, at a cost of about $10,400, along with a $1,500 second-class bulk mailing permit. While the projected savings would be modest, she said it would be good to cut down on waste. She said many towns across the state have already adopted similar changes to save money. She said the town would still publish the report, but would not mail it. The report would be available at the Town Hall and at the town library, as well as other locations. She said the information is available on the town’s website. Courchesne estimated that instead of 2,300 reports, the town could publish 600 instead. The vote would not affect the publication and distribution of the 2014 Town Report, which is already in production at Springfield Printing Co. Courchesne said by law, the town report has to contain the town audit, the “school report,” and the town warning for the annual town meeting. State statute controls the public notification requirement and the publishing requirement. If the town wants to change the way it gets the information out to the voters, she said, the change has to be approved by the voters. Last month, the Springfield Select Board voted unanimously to let voters decide the issue. Courchesne said she had received the support of the Select Board for the change, and she would be seeking the support of the Springfield School Board next Monday at its meeting. She said she has already been working with the school finance director, Steve Hier, about the change. The school district currently pays one-third of the cost of the town report. “It is a small cost savings, but it still is a cost savings,” she said.