Families should be able to put down roots here, and longtime residents should be able to stay. That means taking spending seriously and explaining the choices behind the tax bill.
Start with the budget
Look for waste and cost savings before asking residents to pay more. Make proposed spending and its purpose clear enough for residents to understand and question.
Make public dollars go further
Encourage competition for public contracts and accountability for the quality of the work. Road repairs and other investments should deliver lasting value.
Plan for ongoing costs
Account for maintenance, staffing, and long-term operating costs before committing to major projects. Residents deserve to know both the upfront price and the bills that follow.
Why this matters
Look beyond the upfront price
A project can carry costs long after construction ends. Showing future maintenance and operating costs alongside the initial price helps residents understand the commitment their tax dollars are supporting.
Review spending and explain the choices
Review proposed spending, contracts, and ongoing commitments with township staff. Identify opportunities for savings and more competitive bids, then explain recommended changes and their effects on services before budget decisions. Show the proposed expense, available funding, and any borrowing or tax impact. Identify savings or budget reallocations by amount and source, including what the change means for the service or project losing that funding. Include ongoing operating costs.
Compare plans with actual spending
Publish budget-to-actual spending, verified savings, debt costs, and changes in service delivery. Distinguish recurring savings from one-time savings so residents can judge whether an improvement lasts.
02 / Our priorities
Help local businesses thrive
A thriving business community contributes to the commercial ratable base—the taxable property value that helps fund local services. Filling vacant business space and attracting suitable businesses can spread those costs across a broader base and help ease the burden on homeowners.
Address vacant storefronts
Make business vacancies a priority and restore a dedicated local business council to help support existing businesses and attract new ones.
Broaden the base supporting local services
Support existing businesses and welcome suitable businesses into available commercial space. The goal is more taxable commercial property contributing to local services, with less reliance on residents to carry the bill.
Support appropriate investment
Encourage business activity and job opportunities that fit Aberdeen’s neighborhoods and protect the character of our town.
Why this matters
Spread the cost of local services
A broader commercial property tax base can reduce reliance on homeowners. The benefit depends on the taxable value added, any incentives offered, and the service costs involved—not simply a business’s sales.
Work with businesses on practical improvements
Restore a dedicated local business council, identify vacant commercial spaces, and listen to existing and prospective businesses about obstacles the town can help address. Set out the actions, responsible partners, and expected next steps. Explain the cost of business-support efforts, any proposed incentives, and the services needed to support additional commercial activity. Do not count a projected benefit as revenue already received.
Track occupancy and taxable value
Report changes in vacant storefronts and taxable commercial property value alongside the cost of the town’s efforts. Explain other factors affecting those changes; business activity alone does not establish that a municipal program caused them.
03 / Our priorities
Fix more roads. Spend wisely.
Residents should know which roads are planned for repair, why the work is needed, what it is expected to cost, and what was actually delivered.
Review the cost and the scope
Examine past road projects and compare equivalent work in neighboring towns to understand whether—and why—Aberdeen’s costs differ. Separate resurfacing costs from drainage, sidewalks, and underground utility work.
Study water and sewer needs before choosing the repair
Seek a condition-based study of water and sewer infrastructure, coordinated with the responsible utility owners. Use the findings to explain when underground replacement and full road reconstruction are necessary, and when milling and resurfacing would be sufficient. Account for safety, reliability, remaining useful life, and the risk of digging up a newly paved road.
Make competition visible
Encourage more qualified contractors to bid. Publish understandable summaries of the work requested, the bids received, the award decision, and subsequent changes to the price or scope.
Publish a road-by-road plan
Identify the roads proposed for repair, the type of work, estimated cost, and expected schedule. Explain changes as conditions or funding change.
Why this matters
Compare the work, as well as the price
A meaningful comparison looks at what each road project includes: resurfacing, drainage, utilities, sidewalks, and expected lifespan. Reviewing those differences helps identify savings that preserve safety and quality.
Study, prioritize, bid, and fund the work
Review past project costs and coordinate a water and sewer condition study with the responsible utility owners. Use the findings to develop a road-by-road plan, explain the required scope, and encourage qualified bidders. Publish the proposed schedule, bid comparisons, and reasons for changes. For each proposed project, show the estimated cost and the amounts expected from existing funds, grants, identified savings or reallocations, and borrowing. Explain what is being deferred when money is moved. If bonding is proposed, show the repayment period and estimated interest and debt-service costs. Distinguish grants awarded from grants still being sought.
Compare completed work and actual costs
Establish a baseline from the prior year and three-year period, then report annual road mileage completed and actual cost per mile using the same method: total comparable project costs divided by the corresponding completed miles. Separate milling and resurfacing from reconstruction and utility replacement; account for road width and project scope. Show estimates versus final costs, change orders, completion dates, and available quality information. Explain outstanding final bills and price changes over time.
04 / Our priorities
Open government to the people it serves
Residents should be able to follow decisions, ask questions, and contribute before a vote—not discover the consequences afterward.
Make meetings accessible
Live-stream major public meetings so residents can follow local government even when they cannot attend in person.
Communicate clearly
Explain proposals and decisions in plain language. Open communication helps residents understand what is happening and why.
Listen before deciding
Welcome different viewpoints and meaningful public input. Participation should be part of decision-making, not an afterthought.
Give credit where it belongs
The employees and volunteers who give their time, energy, and expertise to Aberdeen deserve recognition for their work. That credit should be visible in how township programs and events are promoted, as well as in the thanks offered afterward. Public communications should keep the focus on the people serving our community.
Use public communications to serve the community
Township calendars and publications should inform residents, celebrate local service, and help volunteer organizations recruit. Use these resources to highlight the people behind the work and invite more neighbors to take part.
Why this matters
Recognition should be visible
Township program promotion prominently credits the mayor and council. We believe public recognition should reflect the contributions of the employees, volunteers, and community partners who are actually doing the work.
Summer job program
The headline names the Mayor & Council. The full flyer lists a DPW contact for questions.
Excerpts from the supplied township flyers; original wording unchanged. Open either flyer for its full context. These examples show how the programs were promoted, not who performed each task. Event dates and application information are shown as historical material.
Make access and recognition part of everyday practice
Work with township staff to establish a practical process for streaming and archiving major meetings, sharing understandable supporting materials, and inviting input before decisions. Make recognition of the employees, volunteers, and community partners doing the work part of township communications. Identify equipment, software, staffing, and ongoing costs for meeting access and clearer public reporting. Explain what existing resources can cover and what would require new spending.
Make access measurable
Report which meetings were streamed and archived, when supporting materials became available, and whether residents had an opportunity to comment before decisions. Publish dated updates and corrections.
05 / Our priorities
Give schools a seat at the table
Town planning and school planning affect the same families. Bringing them together early is essential to supporting education while protecting taxpayers.
Include the Board of Education
Give school leaders a voice in development negotiations so enrollment and funding impacts are considered before agreements are made.
Explain what additional funding will do
Itemize school needs, show how proposed investments benefit students, and invite community input. Residents deserve time and clear information before major funding decisions.
Coordinate on student safety
Work across municipal and school leadership on the challenges children face getting to school, including routes that cross major roads.
Why this matters
Bring the right people into the discussion early
When a proposal may affect student enrollment or school funding, school leaders need a chance to explain those effects while decisions are still being shaped.
Coordinate early with school leadership
Bring school leaders into discussions while development and infrastructure proposals are still being shaped. Share enrollment and service assumptions, document concerns, and identify which decisions and follow-up steps belong to each organization. Separate municipal costs from school-district costs. Explain projected enrollment, funding assumptions, and the proposed source of any additional support before decisions are made. School budget decisions require the appropriate school leadership and process.
Show when school input changed a decision
Document when school leaders were consulted, what concerns they raised, and how those concerns were addressed. Compare available outcomes with the original assumptions and explain material differences.
06 / Our priorities
Support the people who serve Aberdeen
First responders and community volunteers are part of what makes Aberdeen a place people care about.
Listen to first responders
Make support for local police and other first responders part of the community’s ongoing conversation about public safety.
Help volunteers be seen
Feature local volunteers in township calendars and communications, with their participation. Give them recognition they can share with their families and use that visibility to encourage others to join.
Stay involved throughout the year
Participate in community events, recognize service, and make room for neighbors to help one another beyond election season.
Why this matters
Recognition can invite participation
Seeing neighbors recognized for their service gives prospective volunteers a concrete picture of how they could help. With volunteers’ participation, township communications can support both appreciation and recruitment.
Build support around the people doing the work
Meet with first responders and volunteer organizations to identify their priorities and agree on practical support. Coordinate recognition and recruitment opportunities through township communications with their participation, and explain who will follow through. Show the costs of proposed support, equipment, and recruitment efforts, including ongoing maintenance. Identify opportunities to recognize volunteers through existing township communications.
Report support and participation
Track the agreed support delivered and, with participating organizations, recruitment and retention information they can share. Recognize the employees and volunteers responsible for the work.
07 / Our priorities
Protect existing neighborhoods
Our priority is the people who already call Aberdeen home. When a development proposal comes before the town, it should face careful scrutiny of its effects on residents, schools, traffic, and public services.
Scrutinize developer incentives
Oppose unnecessary or poorly negotiated PILOTs—payments in lieu of taxes—and tax abatements. Evaluate the public benefit and the impact on existing taxpayers before offering an incentive.
Protect neighborhood character
Preserve open space and involve residents before zoning changes are decided. Development should fit the neighborhoods around it.
Hold projects to their commitments
Review the costs and obligations of proposed projects and those already approved. Keep commitments to residents in view as plans change, including promised commercial space and infrastructure improvements.
Why this matters
Protect residents before commitments are made
An agreement can shape a neighborhood and its public-service costs for years. Residents should have a clear account of the obligations, benefits, and costs before the town commits.
Review proposals and track obligations
Review proposed incentives and project obligations with the appropriate township staff and advisers. Seek resident and school input before decisions, explain the choices publicly, and maintain a clear record of promised improvements and the parties responsible for delivering them. Explain incentives, infrastructure obligations, expected revenue, and projected public-service costs before an agreement is approved. Make the assumptions and responsibilities clear.
Follow through on agreements
Report whether promised improvements and other obligations were delivered on schedule. Compare available outcomes with the original projections and explain changes.
