Voices of Franklin: David Brennan - Buyer Beware

On March 27 Franklin taxpayers should Vote No to the proposed extravagant, wasteful, and expensive 104.5 million dollar high school.

Proponents say Franklin residents will only have to pay half of that — but the fact is the project hasn’t even been put out to bid yet.

The ballot question does not give any specific dollar amount it is asking voters to agree to. Here is how it reads:

Shall the Town of Franklin be allowed to exempt from the provisions of Proposition two-and-one-half, so called, the amounts required to pay for the bonds issued in order to construct a new high school, to be located at 218 Oak Street, and for the payment of all other costs incidental and related thereto?

Proponents deny the meaning of the plain English of the ballot and say it doesn’t matter because it is only the binding resolution with specific numbers that is important.

Trouble is that the binding resolution also says in plain English:

…any project costs the Town of Franklin incurs in excess…shall be the sole responsibility of the Town of Franklin.

That is to say, the sole responsibility of the Franklin taxpayer who will pay the bill. The bottom line is that the state has wisely limited its exposure to cost overruns in this transaction while there is no similar protection for the Franklin taxpayer.

Some don’t care what the cost is and by their way of thinking the more it costs the better because (I take them at their word), they think it will raise their property values. It is these same big spending people who will be in charge of overseeing the project.

So “Buyer Beware” on this one. Personally I’m voting No. I won’t be giving a blank check to big spenders.