THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, MArCH 8, 2024 Page 5 Countdown Till Town Meeting Editor’s Note: The 2024 Annual Town Meeting convenes on Monday, May 6. As a special service to our readers and the registered voters of Saugus, we will reach out to the 50 Town Meeting members, focusing on one precinct each week, in the weeks leading up to the start of Town Meeting, asking members about their expectations for the upcoming Town Meeting. This week, we received responses from four of the fi ve Town Meeting Members in Precinct 2. Question One: What do you consider the top priority for the town as you prepare for the opening of the 2024 Town Meeting session? Robert Camuso Sr. First I want to thank all the residents in Precinct 2 for reelecting me to keep being a voice for them at town meeting. It’s tough to say there’s just one singular priority upcoming in Saugus that needs to be addressed but this one I think needs to be more addressed in Saugus. The Northeast regional Vocational school project bill is going to put our fi nances in my opinion in trouble. Saugus needs to fi nd money(2+ million at least a year more) just to pay this thirty year cost to Saugus. I’m hoping to start hearing ideas on how we’re going to fund this cost so we know what to expect and if it’s going to impact Saugus’s operations and the upcoming future stability of our town . Matthew Parlante First and foremost, ensuring the eff ective allocation of our Town’s resources is the most important task at hand. As a newly elected Member, my commitment lies in gaining insight into the operational realities of our Town and ensuring that taxpayer dollars are utilized effi ciently. This entails redirecting resources to areas of pressing need while avoiding wasteful spending. Two key areas requiring immediate attention are our schools and commercial tax revenue generation. I’ve noted with concern the insufficient prioritization of our school system’s needs. We are a proud town yet face inner city issues in our schools. Despite Saugus’ investment in a brand-new middle and high school, the anticipated rise in enrollment has not materialized, signaling a lack of confidence among parents. Prioritizing education is essential to ensuring that families view our schools as safe and enriching environments for their children, thereby fostering long-term community stability and growth of our Town overall. Generating new commercial tax revenue is paramount to alleviate the burden on our residents. Despite claims of a low tax rate, our assessments and property taxes continue to rise, putting the onus back on us. Shockingly, 37% of our commercial buildings lie vacant—a circumstance that demands strategic intervention. Peter A. Rossetti Jr. Top priorities for the town with Town Meeting. Saugus School System. We need to fund it better. The complaint is that money is going to the VOC school for the new building and can’t be spent for the Town system. In fact the amount going to the school is about the same as last year, including the amount for the Bond for the new school, however Saugus is down on the number of students this year, about 18 total. That put us in TOWN MEETING | SEE PAGE 11 8 Norwood St. Everett (617) 387-9810 Open Daily 4:00 PM Closed Sunday Announcing our Classic Specials Dine In Only: * FREE Salad with purchase of Entree, Monday & Tuesdays * Cheese Pizza - Only $10 Catch ALL The Live Sports Action On Our Large Screen TV’s SHOP LOCAL & DROP BY FOR DINNER! www.eight10barandgrille.com SABATINO/MASTROCOLA INSURANCE AGENCY 519 BROADWAY EVERETT, MA 02149 Auto * Home * Boat * Renter * Condo * Life * Multi-Policy Discounts * Commercial 10% Discounts * Registry Service Also Available Sabatino Insurance is proud to welcome the loyal customers of ALWAYS READY TO SERVE YOU: Our Staff are, Emma Davidson, Jeimy Sanchez, Josephine Leone, Marie D’Amore, Rocco Longo, Z’andre Lopez, Anthony DiPierro, Darius Goudreau, Laurette Murphy, Danielle Goudreau and Tina Davidson. PHONE: (617) 387-7466 FAX: (617) 381-9186 Visit us online at: WWW.SABATINO-INS.COM
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