Failure of the proposed property tax solution for our town’s financial challenges is in the history books once again. Two-thirds of the voting electorate opposed the tax. Some chose to either disbelieve or did not seem to care about the vulnerability of our community’s future. The fact that so many fellow residents harbor these attitudes is extremely disheartening.
Of all the arguments voiced in opposition to the tax, the one most erroneous was vocalized again in Mr. Rutkowski’s letter of last week, “A budget projection is a prediction, not a fact,” basically saying it is impossible to predict what your income and expenses will be down the road in years ahead. In view of the fact that every household, business and governmental agency survives and either flourishes or fails due to such predictions is proof enough, not only that you can accurately develop such predictions, but in fact you must do so to survive.
Since we are faced with a single major expense (public safety) that consumes more than half of our entire annual operating income and we have more than $250 million worth of town assets to maintain and repair, it is pretty easy to “predict” that we will run out of money if some source of additional revenue is not identified. The property tax would have provided that source.
So, my friends on the other side of this issue, we will anxiously await your forthcoming solution because the problem is not going away and will only get worse. Bon Chance to our soon-to-be elected mayor and town council; they will need it.
