To the editor:
People are free, of course, to make personal attacks and reduce everything to political rhetoric, but anybody who cares about Tiverton and — more importantly — the people who live here, should consider the actual numbers with which the Budget Committee is having to contend.
Municipal requested budget: $17,597,083
School requested budget: $22,036,715
Total: $39,633,798
Minus other town sources of revenue: ($3,011,919)
Minus state sources of revenue (governor's budget): ($294,752)
Minus motor vehicle property tax: ($1,050,000)
Total from property tax: $35,277,127
Last year’s property tax total: $31,055,334
% change: 13.59%
If any of the Budget Committee's numbers or assumptions are incorrect, I'm sure they'd love to hear it, but these are simply the financial facts, as accurately presented as is currently possible. Not long ago, members of all of the town’s boards, having played the negotiation game and thinking they’d done as well as they could with contracts and budgeting, just assumed that residents had to pick up whatever extra appeared when the calculator displayed its final number.
When people accuse Tiverton Citizens for Change (TCC) of unrealistic predictions and overly heated rhetoric, keep in mind the above numbers and the plain fact that exceeding the state cap already means an increase of more than 4.5%.
Justin Katz
Tiverton
Budget numbers tell a TCC story with TCC math. Get informed and find out what the real story is Tiverton voters.
notorious, "a budget that maintains services"? You clearly are one of the 2 extremists proposing these cuts or believe what they have to say. In either case if you actually asked any the department heads that are impacted by the Caron/Nebergall cuts you would not find one that would be able to maintain services. You, quite frankly are a liar.
I did not get a 4.5% increase in pay this year, did you? I actually had a 10% cut in my pay. Therefore, just as I am having to make my ends meet with less and cut back in certain areas. I feel that the town of Tiverton will have to do the same. I will not be voting for any proposal over the state mandated tax cap of 4.5%.
I have no interest in making unfounded personal attacks, nor am I aware of any personal attacks made by Mr. Katz. However, I think he is being disingenuous at best by implying that he or the TCC are innocent of rhetorical games and scare tactics. This letter provides ample evidence.
Mr. Katz cites a lot of scary numbers, implying that without the noble efforts of the TCC, our town is doomed to a 13+% tax increase. What Mr. Katz fails to acknowledge is that neither the TCC-majority budget committee nor the Tiverton School Committee has ANY authority over the final town budget. That authority belongs to ALL of the people of Tiverton, through the Financial Town Meeting. The TCC tried to use procedural gambits to remove that authority from the people and turn it over to the Town Council. So much for Mr. Katz' assertion that the TCC is standing up for "anyone who cares for Tiverton."
In my job, I manage a fairly hefty budget. Department heads can request funding for just about anything, but that doesn't mean they are going to get it. In fact, the point of over budgeting is to provide maneuverability and flexibility during the budgeting process. Mr. Katz would have you believe that the numbers he cites are engraved in stone. Again, the final numbers are the decision of the FTM.
For my part, I will support a budget proposal at the FTM that equals a 4.5% tax increase. I will very reluctantly support a budget that exceeds that limit, if the alternative is gutting services that benefit the people of Tiverton from all income brackets, not the just the TCC fat cats.
THE TCC AGENDA: Reduce or eliminate schools and town services, including Tiverton High School
THEIR MOTIVE: Reduce their taxes at the expense of the future of Tiverton
THE RESULT: Wage earning families will leave Tiverton. Property values will go down. TAXES WILL GO UP!
Mr. Katz and the tiny vocal majority TCC (Tiverton Conservative Citizens) are advocating their own short term interests over the interests of anyone who opposes or disagrees with them. For anyone who is interested in the present AND future of Tiverton for EVERYONE, please make your feelings known at the FTM.
Dispute the facts as presented, Mr. Bodine. Stop deflecting.
