Letter: Let’s take our town back — Vote budget #1

Posted 5/17/18

Tiverton residents return to the polls this week to vote for our annual budget. We have two options to choose from:  

Budget #1 is the budget developed by the Tiverton Budget Committee, …

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Letter: Let’s take our town back — Vote budget #1

Posted

Tiverton residents return to the polls this week to vote for our annual budget. We have two options to choose from:  

Budget #1 is the budget developed by the Tiverton Budget Committee, along with the school committee and town council. It maintains all services as they currently stand and allows for desperately needed replacement of poorly and nonfunctioning capital equipment, such as DPW plow trucks.

Remember back to the first snow storm of the season? Our DPW workers worked under deplorable conditions; our  vehicles are so old that some lack floor boards, and the drivers can literally see the roads beneath them. Plows so antiquated that they are fixed in one position, unable to rotate side to side to direct the snow piles. Engines with such high mileage, and despite our genius mechanics, breakdowns are a regular occurrence. 

Yet these men worked round the clock to clear our streets and maintain open access for emergency vehicles. The past two years, tax increases have remained near zero. We cannot continue this practice if we want to ensure a positive financial future for Tiverton.

We keep kicking the can down the road. We make cuts every year, and we delay purchasing needed equipment.  ll departments have experienced significant cuts over the past few years, and we need to stop this trend. This is the year we hope to focus on replacing DPW vehicles and on paving and drainage throughout town.

Budget #1 is the responsible budget. It meets contractual salary and other mandated operational expenses for all our departments, as well as purchase of continually delayed capital purchases and investments.   

Petitioner budget #2 does come in at 39 cents per thousand dollars lower than Budget #1. It is easy to jump on the bandwagon that less is best. But we have to ask ourselves, at what expense?

This budget reduces the line item reserved to cover any changes in police and fire contracts, which are both currently in negotiations. Justin Katz foolishly stated that he feels that these workers will accept a 15 percent cut in wages in order to help the taxpayers. Mr. Katz, would you be willing to take a 15 percent cut in wages to help anyone but yourself? I think not.

Once these contracts are ratified, we will be responsible to cover them. If the money is not in that line item, it will need to be taken from somewhere else. What service can we remove?

Budget #2 draws from the general fund, lowering it to the legally lowest amount. There is no cushion for any emergencies. Budget #2 also reduces the litigation line, yet Mr. Katz and cronies continue to file frivolous lawsuits against our town. His last lost suit was this month and cost the taxpayers $2,000.

Budget #2 cuts out the town planner, risking land use lawsuits and grant money; it also cuts funding to our local food bank and visiting nurses, placing our most vulnerable residents at risk. Budget #2 is not fiscally or morally responsible.   

I have a dream. I dream of well plowed and maintained roads, with services we are accustomed to, such as trash pickup; emergency vehicles in good running condition; beautiful open spaces, beaches and parks. These all come at a cost. Budget #1 will continue to provide for this.    

The difference in direct cost between Budget #1 and Budget #2 is 39 cents per thousand. Are our services worth this? Let’s take our town back! I respectfully ask you to Vote Budget #1.

Deborah Scanlon-Janick

Tiverton

The writer is a member of the Tiverton Budget Committee.

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