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Envision Arlington Fiscal Resources Task Group
Mission
The Fiscal Resources Task Group (FRTG) is part of Envision Arlington (formerly Vision 2020) and was created in the early 1990’s by an act of Town Meeting and while the group’s membership has changed over the years, the FRTG has been active continuously since then.
FRTG embraces and works to help the Town better realize the following Town goal:
"We value Arlington's efficient delivery of public services providing for the common good. The benefits from these services and the responsibility of taxation will be equitably distributed among us. We will be known for our sound fiscal planning and for the thoughtful, open process by which realistic choices are made in our Town."
Current Projects
Citizens Corner: A series of articles in the Arlington Advocate summarizing the general workings of the town form of government including: Elections, Town Meeting, Town Departments, Independent and School Departments, Enterprise Funds and The Budgeting Process. We have collected the articles into a handy informational government primer. Read the primer.
Leadership Interviews: The goal of this project is to provide residents with in-depth interviews with the individuals and department heads that manage Town/School departments and committees. Short 800 word synopses will be published in the Arlington Advocate, and full length versions will be posted below. We would welcome new members interested in participating in this new and exciting project.
- Adam Chapdelaine, Town Manager February 2018
- Dr. Kathleen Bodie, Superintendent of Schools June 2018
- Frederick Ryan, Police Chief July 2018
- Michael Rademacher, Director of Public Works, October 2018
Financial Managers: At our meetings we have hosted each of the primary financial managers of the Town, including: Town Manager, Deputy Town Manager, Treasurer, Comptroller, Administrator of the Retirement Board, and Assessor/Board of Assessors.
We find these meetings provide an excellent forum in which to learn more about how each of these offices functions, the challenges facing them in their position and a way for us to provide feedback and inquire about their office’s processes in greater detail. They are often the highlight of the fall/winter/spring meeting season.
Membership
There is no formal membership process or criteria other than having an interest in Envision Arlington's work in the community. We meet monthly usually on the third Thursday of the month in the lower level conference room of the Senior Center unless otherwise announced. All interested parties are welcome to attend.
Meetings & Projects
We strive to create free-wheeling, open and engaging discussion-based meetings where member interests can develop into research projects to inform recommendations to Town leaders.
Past projects include
- Warrant Article Order Review
- Annual Financial Plan - Review and recommendations
- Water/Sewer - analysis to understand quarterly billing impacts
- Town Financial Organization - In-depth review and recommended changes
- Commercial Property Assessment - Review of the process and financial implications
- My tax dollars - Resident financial tool to determine cost of specific town/school services
To learn more or get on the meeting agenda distribution list, contact Gordon Jamieson