Although residents may be surprised that the Greenfield Town Council has proposed a budgetary alternative to the mayor’s capital improvement plan, they should welcome the move.

The alternative plan is not only a departure from past practices but also an opportunity for the public to hear from both sides about what’s being sought and the justifications for or against.

That back and forth should help the town set its spending priorities while keeping the impact on taxpayers front and center. 

A number of significant capital improvement projects have begun lining up on the runway, awaiting the OK for takeoff. They include building a new senior center; relocating the Greenfield Public Schools administration office to a refurbished section of the middle school; making school building improvements like the roof and windows at Federal Street School; constructing a parking garage off Olive Street, and repairing the Rocky Mountain water tank.

And all of that comes into play with the idea of a public safety complex and new library also under consideration.

“This really has never been done before,” Council President Brickett Allis said. “This is really the first time we’re doing a general overview of the entire thing and trying to discuss what we feel, as council leadership, may be a more affordable and leaner plan.”

What he and Vice President Isaac Mass came up with would cut the mayor’s proposal by about $4 million, or 34 percent of the $11.8 million sought. One of the items the alternative plan would drop is money for the safety complex design.

Having these put together as an alternative long before the March 16 Town Council vote is preferable to addressing the mayor’s spending plan on the eve of a decision. This way, other councilors, taxpayers and even the mayor can see that there is an alternative and consider whether some or all of it might make more financial sense.

Perhaps, too, this can be the start of the evolution of Greenfield’s budgetary process, one that provides more information and consideration well before the Town Council vote. That would only be beneficial to everyone in Greenfield.

Kudos to Allis and Mass for bringing their alternative budget to the table.