August 2013 The Reporter
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the board? The board members should be voting to uphold the ard awn are pecialist bylaw and should never feel that their vote will somehow influence their appointment….that is abuse of power. I also don’t think we hris anley should micromanage any board or department. You appoint or hire competent people to do the job. The selectman cannot over Does Yard Work give you STRESS ????? rule the vote of another board. The selectman each year work with the various departments Why spend ALL of Your time maintaining your yard heads to come up with a budget for the town that hopefully lives within their revenue stream. Our budget is sent to the finance when you could just be ENJOYING it??? committee to determine the source of funding and then it is presented to town meeting for their vote. Once the budget is set, the Spring/Fall Cleanups - Weekly Lawn Maintenance Selectman cannot spend more than what was voted on at town meeting. There is a budget line referred to Reserve Fund. This is Landscape Design/Installation for unforeseen expenditures that could not be anticipated in the Hedge/Shrub Pruning - FREE Estimates budget. The finance committee has control of this fund….that is Competitive Pricing the checks in balance in our government….wouldn’t make sense to have the board of selectman control this line when they are the one submitting the budget. 508-336-9582 The Selectman answer to the voters in town, we were elected by you. If you have a question or concern and want to talk to any30 years Experience one of us, you can call us or email us directly. You can find our telephone number and email address on the town’s website. While I welcome any all calls, if you have an emergency you should be contacting the police directly. The issue of our town cell phone numbers and email addresses came up at a recent meeting. Some residents were unable to locate that information; it has since been added to the town’s website. While I was at the town office, I was played a message that was left on the Selectman office voice mail. A resident had locked himself out of the house and wanted the Selectman office to contact the police for assistance. It’s worth stating the obvious, if you have an emergency call the police. The town office phone goes to voice mail after hours (after 4:30); the message won’t be retrieved until the next day. I hope the resident made a second call directly to the police for assistance and didn’t wait all night for a help. Just because our phone numbers are listed on the website does not mean that you should call us in the event of an emergency. While I think any one of us would try to offer assistance, any emergency should be directed to the Serving Rehoboth, Seekonk, Swansea appropriate department. and surrounding area If you have a specific issue regarding, say a building permit, you should contact the building department for assistance. Although we appoint and hire town employees, I do not micromanage nor would I interfere with their duties and responsibilities. Our Services Include: town’s website was recently updated and • In-Home Pet Sitting • Mid-Day Exercise and Training has a lot of good information to direct you to the appropriate department. I am always • Broad Range of Pet Training • Behavioral Modification open to suggestions or any improvements • Pet Taxi, Including Vet Visits • Backyard Wildlife Management to the website or our town government. If you watch any of the Selectman meetings, You’ll feel confident and relaxed we don’t always agree. Sometimes the while you are away with your pets discussion gets a little heated (I’m guilty of that), but I think it’s healthily to have a pasin our capable, caring hands. sionate debate about an issue. In the end we will likely come to a better solution. I don’t feel my fellow selectman have any other Professional Memberships Include: motive in their discussion or opinions other Free Ongoing Consultation •ABS Animal Behavior Society than what they feel is in the best interest of •ACABC Association Of Companion For “Preferred Customers” the town. That makes the debate so much Animal Behavior Counselors Initial Consultation Free easier….it’s hard to debate an issue when •NAPPS National Association Of Fully Bonded and Insured you know someone has a personal agenda, Professional Pet Sitters you are always on the defensive….makes for John J. Smith, Owner/Operator •PSI Pet Sitters International ineffective government.
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