Petition to the Selectmen

We wish to explain the request we presented to the Board of Selectmen on Monday, March 31.

We asked the selectmen for an independent audit of Phase I of our – the taxpayer's – high school renovation project, including review and comment by an independent cost estimator. This should be completed prior to the May 20 election to assure Falmouth's taxpayers that all funds spent to date have been spent responsibly. This will also provide the selectmen and building committee with a clear picture of what of the original $67.5 million is available.

We also requested a comprehensive review of the renovation project. This should, at a minimum, include the Phase I interim audit, the state-required audit, all litigation information (obviously this won't be available until all cases are settled), and a cause and effect analysis.

We do not want a witch-hunt, or to stall or prevent completion of our school's renovation. These requests are intended to provide answers about the project's finances, explain how it got out of control, and how the issues have been and will be resolved.

These requests are not unreasonable. During the same meeting, Selectman Mustafa noted that, "People want the facts," and Chairman Murphy said the people need "transparency" from town government.

Taxpayers are being asked for an additional $18.8 million to complete this project. Property tax bills will bear an additional sum for 20 years if the override succeeds. If Falmouth's taxpayers are to approve this request, Falmouth's leaders must first show that our taxes have been spent responsibly, that the questions will be answered, and that the lessons learned will be applied to future public projects.

(This post also appeared as a letter, signed by myself and Precinct 9 representative Carol Murphy, in the Thursday, April 10 edition of the Falmouth Bulletin. It was titled (by them), "The reasoning behind high school audit request")