Penny wise, etc.

Friday, January 29, 2010

Last year, Hollis voters rejected an $850,000 proposal to repair town hall. One could assume the economy was the problem.

This year, town officials are coming back to voters with a scaled down plan – $525,000 to repair the clock tower and roof and to pay for an architectural design. According to Town Administrator Troy Brown, this bond issue would “address the immediate structural needs.” Well, fine, and we certainly hope voters approve the proposal.

But once “immediate structural needs” are addressed, is that the end of the project? How could it be? If officials really believed that $850,000 was needed last year – and we believe they did – the probability is that whatever won’t get done under the new proposal will have to be done eventually, and probably at greater cost. After all, building materials and labor generally don’t drop in price.

We understand why officials are bringing in the smaller plan this year. Something must be done – this is a safety issue, not cosmetic – and they’re rightfully worried voters would reject last year’s plan again. So, scale it down and hope for the best.

The logic is sound, but it flies in the face of long-term planning. That is not the fault of the officials who are proposing the new plan. Rather it is the fault of voters who, as is the wont of voters everywhere, have a tendency to see things microcosmically, or in the short term.

The mantra is, more or less, “Don’t spend anything now. Wait.”

There’s a good chance that some, if not many, of the voters who said no to last year’s plan understand the need to repair Town Hall, but just didn’t want to pay the freight during a bad economy. That’s a rational point of view, but it isn’t an economically sound one. Unless Hollis is willing to simply abandon Town Hall, all of the repairs will have to be done eventually and the cost will only increase.

The best plan, always, is to act when action is required, bond the cost out over as many years as are reasonable, and get the job done.

But voters said no.

Well … We can only hope that voters this year will say yes. The people who have to work in Town Hall are your friends and neighbors and they need your support.