Letter: We could have a middle school, and spent less!

Posted 3/22/17

To the editor:

So there are many people in the town that are happy now. 

The new middle school has been approved and funded. No one can argue that a new school wasn’t needed. …

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Letter: We could have a middle school, and spent less!

Posted

To the editor:

So there are many people in the town that are happy now. 

The new middle school has been approved and funded. No one can argue that a new school wasn’t needed. Let’s face it, the school has been in need of replacement for many years. 

But, as the glory of the 200-plus vote win at the town meeting wears off and the middle school moms take down those school committee signs all over town, what’s next, now that we know that the future of thousands of future middle schoolers is secure?

A big tax increase for everyone, still to be determined! 

Well, if you’re like me, if you really think about what happened, you might feel a little concerned. As I sat at the meeting and listened to some of the proponents of raising the tax ceiling, I realized how effectively the school committee, teachers and parents of school kids had positioned this meeting as a referendum on whether we valued our children. 

A vote of no would mean that you had to be some sort of non-caring, self-centered person and certainly not a valued member of the community. The town council complimented this message with the prognosis that if not approved at the meeting, all would be lost; high interest rates, higher costs, delays, you name it… it was now or never! 

A lot of planning went into this project. Yes, lots of focus and, apparently, time over the last four of five years has been devoted to construction and funding. Amazingly, something as simple as a budget, starting a few years back, when the project was envisioned and some sort of expense planning process was lacking. How could you know for years the school needed replacement and never consider how you might plan and pay for the inevitable expense? 

Very few of us, whether you voted for or against the tax increase would deal with a known, future family expense like college tuition or home repairs without planning, budgeting and making some form of sacrifice or trade off. 

Yet, herein lies the beauty of state and municipal government — you don’t need to make the tough decisions or plan when you can just punch the tax lever whenever you need it. Raise the auto tax, raise property taxes, the rich people can afford it! When was the last time the Town of Barrington actually cut the budget? In government “speak” a budget “cut” is when the percent increase for a current year is less of a percentage increase than the previous year. Those of us who’ve been through three or four business cycles in the private sector have experienced a lot worse.

So here’s the tragedy: those on both sides of this fence could have gotten most of what they wanted. Just look at the numbers; it’s simple math. The 4 percent debt ceiling on the current tax base of $58 million is $2.3 million. The annual debt service on the bond for the school is $3.1 million. The difference necessary to balance the annual budget and pay the debt service: $800,000. 

Do you mean to tell me that no one on the either the town council, school committee, building committee, etc. could figure out a way to find $800,000, a 1.4 percent savings, somewhere in the $58 million budget? 

A no vote would have forced that thought process and, I guarantee you, with all the work put in to date, someone would have found a way to get the school done. 

We’ve all been taken. 

When you go to the next financial town meeting in May, you’ll find that we have not only have given the town the extra $800,000 for the school, but a lot more. You’ve probably already seen in the papers and news media that the town is managing our expectations and socializing a tax increase of up to 9 percent. That’s because with a blank check from taxpayers, I’m sure the town and school committee will bundle in a whole series of new, “absolutely necessary” expenses for us to pay. 

Wake up people, we could have had the new middle school and still lived within the 4 percent limit but that is not in the best interest of government or unions. They want even more money from us. 

I hope you’ll all go to the next financial town meeting in May and vote no for all proposed, additional expenses other than the school. Believe me, if there’s a priority expense, the money can be found. The town is currently carrying up to $14 million in reserves! 

At this point there’s still hope that we could limit the tax increase to no more than 5.3 percent and still pay for the middle school bond debt. Let’s show the town we’re not so easily manipulated by emotion and force some accountability from our town and school leadership!

Chris Downs

Barrington

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