To the editor: 

The Committee on Appropriations (COA) recently voted down a proposal by one of its members to reduce the proposed school budget by $250,000.

This would lead one to conclude the proposed budget as presently configured will be presented to the taxpayers for approval at the annual financial town meeting. In addition to an absence of a budget-saving recommendation by the COA, there looms the prospect of additional amendments filed prior to the meeting which could request additional funding for one purpose or another. You, the taxpayer, will be asked to pay for it!

Past financial town meetings presented the taxpayers with the proposed municipal and school budgets compared with the previous year approved budget. This limited presentation does not reflect the overall financial position of the town and the potential resources available that could alleviate in part the heavy fiscal burden placed on the taxpayer. Hence, any discussion of fiscal options is always limited. 

I attended a recent COA meeting to raise this point. I noted that over the past five years, the town's general fun had budgetary excesses totaling $5,665,728 and school fund excesses of $3,566,787.

These outcomes clearly reflect the need to fine tune the budgets and yet still maintain the current service level. The COA response to my disclosure was that the schools are spending their excess funds wisely. That was not the point, the budgets were more than was needed. The COA member proposal to reduce the school budget by $250,000 was the right thing to do.

Finally, taxpayers should direct that any funding requests above and beyond those proposed by the COA should be paid for with town surplus funds. You will hear excuses like the bond underwriters don't like it; industry standards encourage us to do thus and so; you will distort future budgets. 

We the taxpayers should insist, Just Do It!

John J. Fitta

Barrington