Some residents have been calling for Stoneham to undergo an "audit" to find waste and inefficiencies. It sounds reasonable on the surface. Who doesn't want accountability? But there's a problem with this narrative: Stoneham already gets audited every single year.
The call for yet another audit isn't about transparency. It's about delay. It's about creating the impression that Stoneham's financial problems are caused by waste and mismanagement rather than the structural reality of Proposition 2½. And it's about spending tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars on outside consultants to tell us what we already know.
Stoneham Already Gets Audited
Stoneham is audited each year by CliftonLarsonAllen LLP, an independent accounting firm. This annual audit is a standard requirement for Massachusetts municipalities to ensure financial accountability.
These aren't superficial reviews. Independent auditors examine revenues, expenditures, fund balances, debt obligations, and regulatory compliance. The audits verify that Stoneham spends money appropriately, follows proper accounting procedures, and maintains accurate financial records. You can view Stoneham's annual audit reports dating back to 2017 on the town website.
Even Stephen Ternullo, former chair of Keep Stoneham Affordable for All and candidate for State Representative has emphasized that communities like Stoneham and Winchester meet high transparency standards through their annual auditing processes in campaign press release.
But maybe these folks are talking about a different kind of audit?
What's an Operational Audit and Why Is It Expensive?
An operational audit examines whether a town operates efficiently. Instead of checking if money was spent legally (which the annual financial audit already does), it asks: Could this department function with fewer staff? Are there processes to streamline? Could services be contracted out more cheaply? Some folks are claiming that Stoneham needs one of these in order to move forward.
But these audits require hiring expensive management consultants who spend months analyzing every department. The cost is typically tens of thousands of dollars, sometimes exceeding $100,000. And for what? To be told what town leaders already know: departments are understaffed, services have been cut, and years of budget constraints have left the town at bare minimum levels.
When override opponents call for an operational audit, they create a convenient excuse to vote no. "We can't support an override until we've had an audit" becomes a way to delay action indefinitely while services degrade.
The irony is, groups claiming to represent affordability and fiscal responsibility are calling for expensive and wasteful operational audits. If the concern is really about wasting taxpayer money, why spend tens of thousands on consultants? These calls do nothing but create doubt about town efficiency.
Stoneham's problem isn't inefficiency. It's that Proposition 2½ limits property tax growth to 2.5% annually while service costs have grown much faster. No operational audit will change that math. There is only one sustainable solution to solve Stoneham's budget crisis: the passage of a Proposition 2 ½ override.
A Note on Transparency
Real transparency doesn't require expensive consultants. It requires making information accessible and creating opportunities for public input. Stoneham already does this:
- Annual independent financial audits posted online
- Override Study Committee meetings broadcast publicly
- Town Meeting where residents vote on budgets
- Department head presentations with budget justifications
- Board meetings discussing budget decisions publicly
- Published audit reports dating back to 2017
The town's financial challenges aren't hidden. They're extensively documented. Anyone who wants to understand where Stoneham's money goes can access this information now, for free, without spending a dime on consultants. The Override Study Committee's final report(https://www.stoneham-ma.gov/1102/Override-Study-Committee) provides department-by-department breakdowns of cuts, needs, and impacts. That report represents hundreds of volunteer hours examining town government.
So What's the Point?
Stoneham gets audited every year by independent professionals. Those audits verify that money is spent appropriately and accounted for properly. Calling for expensive operational audits is a delay tactic designed to create the false impression that waste drives Stoneham's budget problems.
The truth is simple: inflation has outpaced the revenue growth allowed by Proposition 2 ½ and this has put Stoneham in an unwinnable situation. We've cut services, deferred maintenance, left positions unfilled, and stretched every department to breaking point. No operational audit will change that.
Stoneham doesn't need another audit. Stoneham needs an override.