To the editor:

As the fiscal year 2017-2018 budget work for the Town of Tiverton is underway, a short summary of the outlook for the town’s coming finances from a budget committee member viewpoint might be of interest to Tiverton’s taxpayers.

The committee has received the preliminary budgets from all the town departments. Looking at the budget in the traditional manner of total school expenses and total municipal expenses will show a 1.9% increase for the schools and a 2.0 % increase for municipal resulting in an overall increase of 1.95%.

On a percentage basis the preliminary proposed FY 2017-2018 $50,333,903 budget breaks out as follows:

• Bonds principal and interest pertaining to school department, 6.3%

• Bond principal and interest pertaining to municipal, 2.4%

• Municipal insurance including employee medical and dental, 5.8%

• Municipal pension contributions, 2.3%

• Other municipal expenditures, 23.2%

• All school department expenditures, 60.0%

These presentations provide correct arithmetic information but have some flaws when it comes to the Budget Committee completing its Town Charter task — “To provides the electorate with budget recommendations which balance the value of the proposed goods and services with their cost in taxes.”

The definition of the word “value” becomes very problematical because people’s views will vary.

A key to what is “value” is the fact that the Town of Tiverton is a 24-hour a day seven-day a week operation that for the majority of each day has to operate as a total interconnected unit.

The Budget Committee is the only independently elected body in Town that is responsible for total town operations … not just schools, not just municipal, but the entire town; therefore “value” must cover all operations.

Stating only my individual views as a Budget Committee member, the best “value” that the Budget Committee can provide the citizens of Tiverton is a proposed sustainable comprehensive budget that facilitates the efficient operation of the entire town organization that provides for the health and safety of its citizens.

The best “value” that all the citizens of Tiverton can provide one another is to turn out to vote on May 20 to approve a budget that supports total town operations!

Cecil Leonard

Tiverton

Mr. Leonard is a member of the Tiverton Budget Committee.