1991-Annual Town Report - Laserfiche WebLink

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course towards a Mashpee that we can all continue to en- Report of the joy and love. I pledge my fullest efforts to making sure anning Department that we accomplish that goal and sincerely appreciate your P1 continued encouragement and support. To the Honorable Board of Selectmen Respectfully submitted, and the Citizens of the Town of Mashpee: I am very pleased to submit to the Board of Selectmen F. Thomas Fudala Town Planner and to the good people of Mashpee my eighth Annual Report as your Town Planner. The past year has seen significant changes in the course of the Town and the Department, some good, some bad,which will affect our operations in the coming years. On the negative side,the budget cuts imposed for FY92 have had a major impact on our staffing. The Assistant Planner position was eliminated, greatly reducing our ability to deal with the growing demand for our services, particularly with regard to long-range planning. The hours of our administrative secretary were also cut, leading to the resignation in December of Nonie Nicker- son, whose tireless efforts over five years were the bedrock on which the Department's operations were bas- ed. I believe that Nonie was the best secretary the Town had and her services will be sorely missed. On the brighter side, a number of factors hold pro- mise for a better year ahead. After the political turmoil of last year, the town appears ready to set a new and steady course. To help in that effort,the Department will be engaging in a two-year project to develop and imple- ment a new Local Comprehensive Plan with the assistance of funding from the Cape Cod Commission. In December, we were notified that Mashpee had submit- ted the best proposal for that funding and will be receiv- ing a grant of $46,605 to assist in our planning effort. Of even more importance to our success, however, will be the active participation of all Mashpee residents in the planning process. Our planning proposal calls for a max- imurn of public input in developing both the goals and policies on which the plan will be based and the contents of the Local Comprehensive Plan itself. Input will be sought through public opinion surveys, a series of issue forums to develop a community"vision statement"and goals and policies for the Town, open public meetings by subcommittees representing all of the Town boards and other parties interested in various specific issues, and extensive publication of proposals in the local newspapers. I believe that the openess of this process will be critical to developing a blueprint for our community that all of us can understand and support.To make that happen,however, all of us will have to participate,speak our minds honestly,listen to and respect the opinions of our fellow residents and be willing to reach a compromise that we can all live with. That process will begin in May, 1992 and is intended to conclude with a vote of Town Meeting to adopt the Local Comprehensive Plan and any resulting regulations by May, 1994.Those two years could be among the most exciting and important in Mashpee's history and I invite you to join the Planning Board,the Board of Selectmen, the other involved agencies and myself in setting the 91