Michael Roberts has spent plenty of time working with Morrisville staff and citizens. And as the vice-chair of the town’s planning and zoning board, he has a front-row seat to one of the town’s biggest issues: growth.

“We only have so far to grow, so we need to have a solid plan to protect our citizens,” said Roberts.

And although the recession has slowed a lot of residential and commercial development, there’s still much to be done, he said.

“We are spending our meeting time preparing for the coming growth,” he said. “We are making sure the town ordinances don’t allow for loopholes.”

At the same time, he wants to avoid “eyesores” created by stalled or abandoned projects. “I’d like to see incentives for developers, with ramifications if they don’t complete their work,”he said.

Roberts, a senior project manager for Fidelity Investments, also understands the need for citizens to be knowledgeable about the town’s budget. “Currently, there is no layman’s view,” he said. “In the future, we will be able to say, ‘If we have a penny, how much of that penny is being spent for which part of the budget?’

“We want people to have a good idea of what their money is being used for.”

That will be crucial in making sure that the town’s services, such as police and fire departments, maintain their quality, he said.

Roberts also wants to work toward a stand-alone senior center in the downtown area that rivals Cary’s vibrant center, as well as planning ahead for developing a historic heritage area.