As someone who voted for Article 31 in Town Meeting, I believe it is a “win win” for the community.

First of all, we need to make smart budgeting choices. Often at Town Meeting we are asked to approve measures which will cost the taxpayer more money, e.g. building new schools, buying a new fire truck, or constructing new sidewalks. Article 31 is the opposite: a measure to lessen the impact on the taxpayer, with exceedingly little if any negative effect across Lexington’s population. To me that’s a no-brainer of a decision.

Secondly, we need to start reducing the amount of waste we send away in garbage trucks. Our environment, our planet, and our wallets demand it. Instead of dumping everything on the curb and sending it to a landfill or an incinerator, we need to reduce, reuse, recycle, repurpose. Article 31 is one step in a thoughtful and measured process to modernize our waste removal process for the times.

I get it – change is often hard for some folks. But I’ve lived in Lexington for 30 years, and I’ve served as a Town Meeting member for 12. Given this history, I hold one opinion without reservation: our Town Government is incredibly thoughtful in its deliberations. In our jaded world we often think that all government officials are hacks and that we always know better than those we elect. When you get beyond knee-jerk reactions to change and delve into the details, the facts show how lucky we are to live in a community whose government sweats the details and arrives at solutions we all can be proud of.

Please join me in voting YES on June 16th.

Phil Jackson

Town Meeting Member

Precinct 9

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1 Comment

  1. Automation does not require fees. The town can implement automation without having to charge for excess trash. There is still no definition of what amount of trash is excess nor what it will cost. People can vote against more fees without impacting automation. Automation will save money without making Lexington less affordable with more fees. Vote no.

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