Mansfield Selectmen Shocked by Easton's Withdrawal From Veterans District

Easton selectmen voted unanimously Monday night to leave the Crossroads Veteran's Services District and hire it's own full-time veteran's agent.

The decision came after Easton town administrator David Colton sent a memo to selectmen recommending the town leave the district, citing "cultural" differences with other towns involved.

Easton is a member of the district with Norton, Foxborough and Mansfield.

"Although, cost-savings was not the reason to create the district, avoiding
the costs associated with this 'mission creep' is a good reason to consider leaving," he wrote in his memo.

The decision caught the Mansfield selectmen off guard, as a vote to leave the district was not expected.

"This has totally hit us by surprise," Mansfield selectman Jess Apowitz said. "There was an issue that Easton had, nothing to do with Mansfield."

Currently, Mansfield does not have any plans to leave the district. If the town were to leave, it would dissolve what is now a three-town district as every member town must boarder another member town.

Easton will leave the district at the end of June. By that time, Colton said, Easton's own veterans agent will be hired. The cost of the agent will be approximately $68,000 - $77,000 per year. The amount will be a slight increase from the approximate $60,000 (including clerical costs) it was paying to be a member of the district, according to his memo.

"The cost would probably go up slightly if we took it back under the town’s wing, but we always said it was not a financial decision," Colton told selectmen.

Despite the departure of Easton, the towns remaining in the district still plan to meet on April 30 in Mansfield and provide services for their veterans.

"The district is still functioning. Foxboro, Mansfield, and Norton are still in," Apowitz said. "We have business to discuss and take care of."