CHELMSFORD -- All three Board of Selectmen candidates agree the town should pursue means to generate additional revenue in order to relieve some of the burden on taxpayers.

Taxes, spending and economic development dominated the Board of Selectmen portion of the Republican Town Committee debate on Thursday.

Joining the Republicans were members of the Democratic Town Committee, whose Wednesday debate was canceled due to scheduling conflicts. Brian Latina, who served as moderator for the Republican committee debate, said the two parties will fully collaborate on a single debate next year.

In this year's Board of Selectmen race, incumbent Pat Wojtas, longtime Planning Board member Glenn Kohl and Route 40 Study Committee member Virginia Crocker Timmins are vying for two seats in Tuesday's town election.

The three said they felt efforts to revitalize the Route 129 corridor are vital to increasing commercial and industrial tax revenue in town and provide relief for homeowners.

"Nobody's painting their houses, nobody's fixing their fences, and the reason for that is because they're paying so much in taxes they can't afford to do that," Kohl said.

While Kohl, a farmer, would prefer to see the area return to its farming past, he said he knows that's not possible.

Wojtas said she believes the town needs to better support Director of Business Development Lisa Marrone in filling vacancies on Route 129 and attracting and retaining businesses in general.


Wojtas also suggested working with Chelmsford's state delegation to come up with other local option taxes and more ways to get local aid from the state.

Crocker Timmins said she feels the town needs to work on its perception as a business-friendly town.

Moving from a single tax rate to a split rate isn't helping those efforts, and may have slowed them down, Kohl said. He said he'd have probably voted against the split rate given the timing, but now he'd like to see how things go over a year's time before making a decision.

Crocker Timmins said the decision has been made, and "we need to let it ride, and look at what it's doing for both the residents and the businesses.

"I'm not convinced that it's going to provide a sustainable relief for the residents that so direly need it, and the reason I say that is, as the businesses taxes go up, it's going to affect their capitalization rates, which could turn their assessed values down, and we could start seeing it shift the other way," she said. "I think what really need to focus on is revenue generation, because that is what is going to provide a more sustainable solution for everyone."

Wojtas, who voted against the split rate in December, said she feels businesses have been great partners with the community, always supporting nonprofit fundraising efforts.

"The businesses have always been very generous, and I've noticed a step back from that since the split rate has gone into effect," she said.

However, she said she probably would not be in favor of shifting back to a single rate immediately.

"We don't need to have a whipsaw effect like that, that would just really confuse everybody," Wojtas said.

She said businesses have also been hit particularly hard by new stormwater management fees. Under the fee structure, commercial properties pay tiered fees based on the amount of impervious area while most residences pay a flat annual fee.

The candidates agreed it was necessary that Chelmsford comply with the unfunded federal mandate, but questioned different aspects of how the town is meeting the requirements.

"I do think it deserves maybe a second look, in that there are commercial buildings that were actually built to handle their own stormwater, and they're now having to pay fees that they probably won't get any benefit from," Crocker Timmins said.

Kohl said he didn't think the town needed to create a new department and spend a lot of money on new employees and equipment to meet the stormwater requirements.

"We have a DPW already that could have handled it with the equipment and the manpower that we already have and that we already own and already pay for, with just a little bit more effort," he said.

Incumbent Eric Meikle and Planning Board Chairman Mike Raisbeck, both running for Board of Health, and Henry "Hank" Houle and Maura Snow, both running for the associate member seat on the Planning Board, also participated in the debate. 

Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday. Precincts 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 vote at McCarthy Middle School and Precincts 2 and 3 vote at the Senior Center.

Follow Alana Melanson at or on Twitter @alanamelanson.