Letter: Cost of doing nothing far more dire for Westport

Posted 1/27/18

To the editor:

As Ronald Reagan famously said some years ago: “There you go again!” Those of us who have lived in Westport for a while could anticipate that, if the town was trying once again …

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Letter: Cost of doing nothing far more dire for Westport

Posted

To the editor:

As Ronald Reagan famously said some years ago: “There you go again!” Those of us who have lived in Westport for a while could anticipate that, if the town was trying once again to face up to its responsibilities and aspirations, there would be letters to the editor telling us that whatever was being proposed would quickly lead to fiscal disaster. The trouble with these epistles is that they tend to look only at the costs and never at the benefits, or the consequences of doing nothing.

The town has recently taken courageous and positive steps to invest in its fire and police facilities to provide for our future security. It is on the brink, after the recent Town Meeting, of significantly improving our educational facilities. And in the near future the town will hopefully face up to the need to improve water quality for many households and for the river.

If we had followed the dire warnings and continued to let our security and education facilities deteriorate as they have been for years, we could be sure of two things: the quality of life in Westport would also deteriorate and the values of all our properties would tank. The same will be true if we don’t address our water problems.

• So yes, we will have to pay higher taxes, but we have one of the lowest tax rates in the state.

• And yes, we will have to take on more town debt, but we also are one of the least indebted towns in the state.

But if we don’t pay more taxes and take on more debt, our property values will drop, our town services will worsen, and this will become a town from which to escape rather than one to discover and move into.

So, to quote from a recent doomsday letter: “When considering these facts, I ask you, what are your conclusions."

David C. Cole

Westport

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