I am writing this letter to ask that voters approve Budget #1 at the financial town referendum on Saturday. I think it is important that people realize what is at stake here is a lot more than one year's budget.
We have to remember that we live in a small town. We have to try to be respectful of each other even when we get upset over an issue. I think we also have to keep in mind that saving money and being responsible means thinking about the long term.
Over the past several months, the School Committee, Town Council andBudget Committee spent many hours debating the budget. We took a lot of votes in public meetings. We thought about all the trade offs. There were many discussions about keeping the balance between what the taxpayers of the Town can support and what the Town as a whole will need not just for this year but for coming years.
I was offended when, at the financial town hearing, the spokesman for the alternative budget could not answer any questions about how he arrived at his numbers. If I answered every single question I was asked about an important issue with "I don't know" or "I did not ask anybody about that" Idon't think the voters who put me into office would keep me there. So why would anyone vote for a budget, the most important thing we do all year, if there is no research or thinking behind the numbers?
I think when someone promises you everything you want but cannot tell you how those promises will be kept - you should be worried! Budget #1 is supported by a lot of professional effort and people who are passionate about this Town, and it is not fair or correct to dismiss all of our work. If we fail, throw us out
of office. Don't elect us to do the work and then let the people who lost the election write your budget.
I hope people realize that many of the cuts suggested by the supporters of the petitioner's budget are simply impossible to make. We have contracts in place with employees. You can't just show up one day and tell someone their pay has been cut when they have a binding contract. The petitioner's budget cuts the money the tax collector uses to send out bills. Everyone
knows we have to send out the bills.
The secret some people won't tell you about is that cutting essential items is a trick. What some people want is for the Council to cut popular, nonessential things like recreation and the Senior Center in order to meet a bottom line figure that is totally unrealistic. They hid their cuts because they want to win this budget - not because they have the best interest of the Town in mind. This is all about politics, and I think that is terrible. It certainly is no way to run a Town.
Please vote for Budget #1, and defend the basic respect, trust and accountability we need to have to keep a balanced, well informed approach to our budget.
Sincerely,
Denise M. deMedeiros
Tiverton Town Council President
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