We are back for a special guest appearance. Thank you, Madame, for the space.
The time has come for our elected representatives to set our tax rates again. As we have said so many times in the past, nothing effects your life and property as much as local taxes do. The Council will be literally adjusting your monthly mortgage payment next week. So pay attention willya? This is kinda important.
This year is the first time (at least since we have been writing this blog) that we have seen a Councilman use actual data to determine our taxes. We are, of course, talking about Greg Cann. We have watched quietly as he has taken on the responsibility of actually understanding what the numbers mean. We have heard about no side deals or secret understandings going on with Mr. Cann and anyone else. In fact we can discern no hidden agendas with this gentleman at all. He seems to be relying completely on reality. Go figure.
We understand that anytime the Board of Education doesn’t get more than they ask for we are depriving children of their education. Of course there is no reality to this. No one has ever determined the effect of an administrator’s salary and benefits on a child’s education. But there will be layoffs they say. How many administrators will be laid off? Any? Do administrators teach children? Apparently our administrators can’t even create a readable budget. Will we notice if any of them are gone?
We urge all of of Council members to follow Mr. Cann’s lead. It is time to make the Town responsible to the people they are supposed to serve. It has been turned the wrong way for too long. The taxpayers do not serve the Town departments or BOE. It is they who serve us. And they are not minding the store. It is time the think about making this town livable for it’s residents and not for the employees who flee to other towns with lower taxes.
Mr. Cann’s numbers are unlike those we have become accustomed to. They are real and reflect actual costs. It is ludicrous to ask for a 2.75% increase if you have no idea how the last increase got spent. For someone who has the responsibility of chairing the entire Council, Ms. Daponte should know better than to make ridiculous statements like that. There may be a Council person or two that is still dumb enough to believe her.
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