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Welcome to the NEW Citizens for a Better Shrewsbury Web Site!

Welcome to the new Citizens for a Better Shrewsbury (CBS) Web site. As you browse through the pages, you will notice we are still in the process of uploading information and cleaning up sections; we appreciate your patience throughout this process. In keeping with the mission of CBS, we have created a brand new Web site that will help us better share factual and current information with you. The Web site includes:

Information about the CBS organization and how we are structured, as well as CBS's current initiatives
A rich bank of current and historical information resources ranging from CBS publications to our public assess television show
A brand new discussion forum that segments the conversation by subject so that it is easy to follow the full discussion
Links to other Shrewsbury Web sites
An online store so you can easily join CBS, make a donation to CBS, purchase CBS event tickets, or purchase CBS products

Register at the top right-hand side of our Web site to participate in the forum discussions and receive our electronic newsletters.

Please contact us if you have any comments that you would like to share regarding the Web site.

Citizens for a Better Shrewsbury ... Making a Difference

Citizens for a Better Shrewsbury (CBS) is a consolidated voice for Shrewsbury citizens who care about their town and value the quality services that are enjoyed by all of Shrewsbury.

CBS is a coalition of people dedicated to working on a nonpartisan basis to promote understanding and awareness of major developments and challenges facing Shrewsbury. Its primary objectives are to advocate for responsible spending and to foster a better informed voting public. CBS supports no candidates, town departments, or political organizations.

The objectives include:

Fostering a more informed community of Shrewsbury
Providing a forum where issues and initiatives can be researched and discussed pro and con
Advocating, when appropriate, for issues and recommending potential responses
Supporting a "Get Out to Vote" campaign to increase voter turnout

The CBS by-laws provide detailed operating rules and procedures for the organizaion.

Our organization has published many newsletters and produced numerous public access television shows to increase citizen awareness of the structural deficit facing Shrewsbury and the negative effect that it is having on Shrewsbury’s public schools and public services.

CBS conducts “Get Out the Vote” campaigns, which highlight the low voter turnout for municipal elections and the need for more citizens to let their voices be heard. CBS strives to underscore the importance and the impact that each vote has relative to municipal matters.

YEAR ONE (2006)

In early 2006 (FY2007) CBS called for an override to be placed on the ballot so that Shrewsbury citizens would have the opportunity to financially support the services that they valued. CBS rallied people to write letters to the Board of Selectmen and Letters to the Editor of local papers in support of the override. In March of 2006, CBS members and supporters of the override packed town hall to request that an override be put on the ballot; however, the Board of Selectmen refused to place an override on the ballot. CBS then issued a press release calling for a full financial study of the town budget (revenue and expenditures). Following the CBS request, the Board of Selectmen formed a Fiscal Study Committee, which concluded their work in March 2007. The Fiscal Study Committee confirmed that the town is well-managed but is simply lacking the revenue needed to support the services.

Also in 2006 CBS conducted an in-depth analysis of the debt exclusion question to fund the renovation and building of fire stations. Only after many hours of research, interviews, and tours of the old fire facilities and the assembly of a report did the CBS organization vote to support the debt exclusion question for the fire stations. CBS members hand delivered documents in support of the fire station to town meeting members, produced fliers and distributed them to neighborhoods, and made a presentation at town meeting. CBS’ efforts paid off when the fire station debt exclusion was approved by voters at the May 2006 election.

YEAR TWO (2007)

In the spring of 2007 CBS spent many hours to produce and publish a Senior Tax Relief document that clearly laid out what tax relief programs were available and how to qualify for the programs. This document was made available free of charge at the Senior Center and the Library; it is also available on the CBS website for download.

In October 2007 the CBS Executive Committee called for earlier budget discussion where citizens and town meeting members could truly participate in bi-directional conversation with the Board of Selectmen about which services should be supported, reduced or eliminated due to another year of expenses outpacing revenue. In late October the Board of Selectmen began the budget disccussions early by holding a three-board meeting (BOS, School Committee, and Finance Committee) to begin discussion between the boards related to budget issues and priorities.

In December 2007 for the first time ever the Selectmen held an early public meeting where citizens could have two-way conversations with the Selectmen about the budget.

YEAR THREE (2008)

CBS members are now calling for the Board of Selectmen and the Town Manager to clearly lay out budget scenarios of program reductions, eliminations, and fees based on potential budget projections. CBS is calling for this as catalyst for engaging more citizens in the budget value and trade-off discussion. CBS has been highly successful in shaping the budget conversation and has scratched the surface to have the citizen voice heard in making budget value trade-off decisions. We believe that the citizen’s voice is critical in order to have Shrewsbury be the type of town that we all truly want it to be. If you do too, please join CBS and join in this positive movement.