What’s Neighborly
And What’s Not

The Randolph and Braintree Selectboards are involved in contentious negotiations about how much Braintree should pay for fire services.

As reflected by Patrick French's letter to the editor, Braintree had historically enjoyed very low costs ($5,000/year) for fire services prior to 1989. At that time the Randolph Selectboard requested Braintree to pay half as much for fire services as the citizens of Randolph, Randolph Center, and East Randolph with a plan to raise it to 70% in three years.

More recent decisions by the Randolph Selectboard requested Braintree to increase their share by 5% per year until Braintree would be paying the same as Randolph, based on assessed property value, saving the Braintree taxpayers some $140,000 over 17 years, according to Tax Assessor French.

In 2006 the Braintree percentage was to be up to 100%. The 100% cost for 2007 is just over $48,000.

However, Braintree Selectboard member George Gray thinks it's not very neighborly for the Randolph Selectboard to insist that Braintree residents pay the same for fire services as the residents of Randolph, Randolph Center, and East Randolph. On the other hand, I think it's not very neighborly for George Gray to insist that Braintree residents pay less for fire services than the residents of Randolph, Randolph Center, and East Randolph. George Gray is just one person, and I am just one person. I think we need more input. I am no longer a member of the Randolph Selectboard, so my opinion has no vote. So I'm asking residents of Braintree and Randolph to contact Selectboard members from Braintree and Randolph, to let them know what you think is neighborly and what's not neighborly. Let's put this issue to rest.

Tom Schersten

Randolph