Over the years, Scarborough has developed a reputation for producing high-profile public disagreements. Longtime residents still talk about the controversial construction of the new Town Hall in 1991; at the time the project was pointedly referred to by some as the “Town Majal,” owing to its perceived extravagance.

More recent examples of contentious issues have been the creation of Black Point Park in 2008 after voter rejection of a referendum for a park at that location, the 2011 parking furor at Higgins Beach, the expanded dog ordinance brouhaha in 2014, the current contretemps over parking and access at Higgins Beach (again), as well as the frequent defeats of school budget referendums in the past several years. It took three tries this summer for voters to approve the latest school budget.

Are there common factors that produce these instances of public turmoil? If so, are there measures that can be taken to avoid or minimize such occurrences going forward?

In looking at the past examples of municipal tension, two factors appear to be significant contributors to the problems – a lack of transparency and a breakdown in communication between the citizens and the town’s leadership. While some progress was made in both areas during the most recent budget cycle, there is still much improvement needed.

Here are three concrete measures that would directly address the issues of transparency and communications that contribute to our frequent bouts of civic distress.

Adopt a new school budget format.

It became clear to many during last year’s budget process that the current format of the school budget does not readily lend itself to citizen review. While most Scarboroughians are neither educators nor accountants, that does not mean that the school budget should remain a mystery to them. Financial and operational information needs to be formatted and summarized in a manner that permits the average citizen to understand how the schools are spending our tax dollars.

As was suggested during last year’s school budget discussions, both Cape Elizabeth and Falmouth have school budget formats that are much more informative and accessible than Scarborough’s. Our presentation is certainly technically acceptable for accounting purposes. But making it more readily understood by all budget stakeholders would go a long way to establishing trust and focusing discussions on substantive matters.

Televise the School Board Finance Committee meetings.

The School Board’s Finance Committee is where the school budget really takes shape. In this committee the superintendent’s proposed budget is reviewed and modified prior to being submitted to the full School Board. Yet this critical aspect of the school budget process receives almost no public scrutiny. Indeed it was only this past July that school officials began posting meeting notes of the committee on the school department’s website.

The town and schools use cable channel 3 on Scarborough Community TV to broadcast and record numerous board and committee meetings – including those for the Sanitary District and Pest Management. But not the School Board Finance Committee. Given the critical role of that committee in developing the school budget, it seems only logical to broadcast their meetings and make them available for on-demand viewing.

Submit municipal and school budgets to annual referendums.

Under state law, the school operating budget is submitted to a town referendum after being approved by the School Board and Town Council. We should be thankful for this provision of the law, since frequent voter rejections of past school budgets indicate our elected officials often do not have a good sense of what Scarborough voters consider an acceptable school budget.

While some bemoan the need for citizens to approve the school budget, I would suggest that voter approval should also be extended to the municipal operating and capital budgets, as well as the school capital budget. Yes, this would put additional burden on town and school administration in terms of clearly communicating what is in the budgets. But isn’t clear communication essential for aligning the actions of town and school leadership with the desires of the town’s citizens?

As the candidates for Town Council and School Board outline their goals for the coming election, improved transparency and communications will undoubtedly be mentioned frequently. The concepts are appealing, but turning the concepts into reality is not easily done. Voters need concrete examples of what each candidate means when he or she advocates improved transparency and communications. Let’s make certain we put the right people at the helm when we vote on Nov. 3.

Steve Hanly is a Scarborough resident.