What’s going well in Town
On the Select Board, Alissa would work to encourage and support the continuation of a variety of efforts that are improving the operation and financial well-being of the Town.
Acton is moving in a favorable direction with its commitment to sustainability, climate mitigation and resilience, diversity, equity and inclusion, economic development, and improving the efficiency of Town operations.
Town staff
Alissa supports the recently added positions and restructuring of departments, such as the hiring of a Clinical Responder with Police Department, a Sustainability Director, a Director of DEI, a Cultural Resources Planner, and an Economic Development Director, and the reorganization of the Land Use department.
Town initiatives & studies
While employing studies as part of planning processes costs money, they ultimately result in better transparency, public engagement, and decision making. Alissa has participated in and supported several Town initiatives and studies over the past few years – the Great Road Wastewater Solutions Study, the Powder Mill Corridor Initiative, the Great Road Revitalization Plan, and Complete Streets initiatives.
Regional collaborations
Acton is involved in several regional collaborations and Select Board support of these is critical for scaled cost savings, improved efficiencies and cooperative relations with neighboring communities. Some examples Alissa supports are the recent agreement with Concord for a regional Public Safety dispatch, cooperation on planning and economic development with Maynard on the Powdermill Corridor Initiative, and Acton’s continued partnerships with other members served by the Regional Housing Services Office.
Earmarks & grants
Town staff have been extremely successful in securing earmarks and grants which offset the cost burden of projects, purchases, and initiatives, such as the construction of affordable housing, the removal of a hazardous dam, improving energy efficiency in Town facilities, planning initiatives, safety and medical equipment for the Fire Department, and many more. This leads to savings for Acton taxpayers, and as a Select Board Member, Alissa would continue to support initiatives like these.
Improvements needed
Communication & Public Engagement
The Select Board meeting structure and Open Meeting Law constraints can lead to frustration. Meaningful dialogue with concerned residents is not possible in this format. Alissa is committed to improving communication by encouraging more robust liaison reporting during Member Updates, offering office hours, and supporting the efforts to organize and launch a community paper.
Regular progress checks
One of Alissa’s core values is following through on her word. She is committed to ensuring that regular progress checks occur so that residents can be sure that action is being taken to meet the established short and long term Select Board goals. Reprioritization is a necessary part of governance, but any shift in goals should be made transparent and communicated to the public.
Another check that is needed is of board/committee work. Select Board Liaisons are a vital link between the many volunteer bodies that support the Town’s governance, but this link between the Select Board and their work can be strengthened. Alissa will advocate for annual in-person updates from these committees to provide a summary of their goals, progress, and assess their official charges where appropriate.
Collaboration and comprehensive/cohesive planning
The Town last adopted a Master Plan, the 2020 Comprehensive Community Plan, in 2012. We are overdue for an updated plan. Alissa will assist with guiding the Master Plan update process. We recently completed an update of Housing Production Plan, we created a Climate Action Plan, and the Open Space and Recreation update and South Acton Visioning and Action are currently in process. These planning documents are critical for guiding the Town’s staff, boards and committees as they go about their work. The documents outline shared values, visions, and set forth action items to see that vision come to fruition.
On the Select Board, Alissa will be committed to ensuring that familiarity with these documents for volunteers serving on boards and committees is improved, that decisions accurately reflect the stated values and move the Town toward agreed upon goals. Although the Acton Water District, Acton Boxborough School District and Acton Housing Authority are separate entities, collaboration and communication between the Select Board and Town staff is critical to keep us on the right path, and Alissa will remember to engage these entities in the decision making process.
Alissa’s Goals & Priorities
Business/Taxes/Affordability
Planning/Zoning
Town Assets & Resources
Public Health & Quality of Life
Business/Taxes/Affordability
Fiscally responsible and sustainable budgeting. Alissa will support the Town’s cooperative financial planning work, continuing to keep the annual budget growth to a minimum, easing the financial burden on Acton’s taxpayers while maintaining excellent services and schools. The Town’s practice of conducting studies before project implementation can help save money in the long run. Alissa will advocate for the consideration of zoning and/or permitting changes needed to better support Acton’s business community. She supports current economic development efforts and the creation of an economic development plan to ensure a robust business tax base.
Affordability for all. Alissa will urge the consideration of extending some or all of the financial breaks currently available to seniors to low income residents of any age. She will support the work of the newly formed Human Services Committee, and assist in any efforts to improve access to, and expansion of, services for Acton’s renters.
Environmentally and fiscally sustainable affordable housing. The addition of housing units to Acton’s Subsidized Housing Inventory (SHI), primarily through the rehabilitation and reuse of existing units is the top goal of Acton’s 2020 Housing Production Plan. The Town’s naturally affordable housing units and the residents who live in them need to be protected. Alissa has been closely aligned with an affordable housing rehab trust group that successfully lobbied for funding at last year’s Town Meeting to conduct a feasibility analysis. Alissa has been working alongside them and Town staff to create a Scope of Work so this study can move forward.
Planning/Zoning
Zoning fixes. Several zoning issues have been identified in recent years by various boards, committees, and staff. Among these are Acton’s relatively lenient minimum lot width and lack of a lot area calculation method that have led to manipulated lot shapes. Gaps in regulations for new technologies such as battery energy storage systems, and other uses on which the bylaw is silent, have also come to the fore. Alissa will support addressing these zoning issues.
Water protection. Alissa understands the need for collaboration between the Town and the Acton Water District to address water issues, including PFAS, how water planning and land use are interrelated, the relationship between groundwater (the source of Acton’s drinking water) and wastewater treatment and discharge, and the impacts of climate change on the water table.
Climate change mitigation and resiliency. The impacts of climate change demand the attention of the Select Board, which must facilitate the Town’s Hazard Mitigation Plan update process. Alissa supports the Town’s recently adopted Climate Action Plan. She will advocate for a regular assessment of progress made on the action items outlined in the plan, and update the plan as needed and informed.
Town Assets & Resources
Wastewater management. Alissa is bringing a Citizen Petition to this year’s Town Meeting that calls for an objective analysis of creating a Sewer Commission independent of the Select Board or an advisory Sewer Committee. The Town has very limited remaining discharge capacity at the municipal sewer plant, is completing significant rehabilitation and upgrades to the system, and must find appropriate wastewater solutions for the “needs areas” identified in the Comprehensive Water Resource Management Plan. On the Select Board, Alissa will be devoted to supporting and guiding the work of entities responsible for addressing these issues.
Land protection. A significant Town asset is open space and the natural services this land provides, including flood control, clean water and air, carbon sequestration, passive recreation opportunities, and habitat for critical biodiversity. Alissa is a strong advocate for the continued conservation of Acton’s open space, including forests, wetlands, meadows, and farms.
Public Health & Quality of Life
Traffic and pedestrian safety. Alissa urges the creation of a Traffic Calming Policy (using the Town of Concord’s as a model). Such a policy would provide an easy to understand flow chart of the process for residents, business owners, and visitors to bring concerns about traffic safety to the Town and the steps to be followed to address those concerns.
Equity. All residents have a right to full access to participation in Town life: community, civic engagement, services, and resources. On the Select Board Alissa will fight to uplift the voices of historically under-represented stakeholders, work to discover what barriers exist to their civic engagement, and identify ways to remove those barriers, ensuring that all are adequately represented by the local government.