Passing the Budget

Passing this budget next week (05/18/2010) will maintain our current level of services, not least of which being all day kindergarten, high school electives, middle school teams, leaf collection, bulk pick-up, the pool, the library, et al.

I see no other option. A reduction in the tax increase means a reduction in town services means a reduction in town value so far as I can figure it. Saying "no" probably feels justified and satisfying, but it does not resolve any of this town's issues, or the state's, or the country's.

I urge all parents of school age children and all residents who enjoy the quality of our community to turn out and vote "yes" on this upcoming referendum. Voting "no" will only lead to chaos in terms of writing a budget somewhere between bad and worse.

Ann Rocco (I apologize for having misspelled her name during my blogging last night) made an excellent point from the other side of this argument last night. She said that if the mill rate goes up, it is not likely to come back down. I don't disagree with her and I don't enjoy having to concede that point. However, I would interject likewise that lost services that this town has historically enjoyed will also never return if cut. It's one thing to add paramedics. It's quite another to return to leaf pick up if we lose that town service and somehow contract out for it. I am of the unpopular opinion that we will then have less, not more, control over the cost of providing such a service. I don't want to be guilty of adopting a "wait and see" attitude, like our First Selectman.

Town Meeting, the Next Installment

Tonight is the next installment of our awesome town meetings, and alas, I cannot make it, though I will certainly be watching.

My first sincere hope is that a proper amount of professionalism and decorum can be kept. The last meeting saw no attempt to stick to the stated agenda - ensuring that both sides of the budget would get its proper time to be debated. One of the meetings last year featured the red hooded intimidation crew - definitely in bad taste.

I will be voting yes. I believe that every investment necessary to maintain our town is worthwhile, no matter how painful. Others will disagree. I certainly hope that plenty of yes votes make it out and speak carefully and profoundly on this view. At the meeting last month very few people came out and only a couple of people bothered to counter some of the rambling negativism.

So, Mr. Freda, people will be watching. Please keep it sharp and focused tonight - the way meetings have been run in the not too distant past.