To the editor:

As a sitting member of the Budget Committee in Tiverton for the past four years, I think I know a little bit about the budget and the budget process.

It is for this reason, that I am backing Budget #3 or Joe Sousa's budget.

While at the hearing, Joe Sousa took some heat from the library on his cut to their grant.  That is an easily solvable problem — the Town Council can transfer money back to that account.

However, with Budget #2, Justin Katz's budget, there are no cuts to look at.  You will not know what will be cut until after you have voted, as his budget will be remanded back to the Budget Committee to do the cuts.  Don't you think it is crazy to remand the budget back to the Budget Committee members who voted for the 3.5% in the first place?   I myself was not one of them.  I did not vote for the total budget.   In fact I asked those who did if they might reconsider their vote, as the budget was too high.

For that reason, as I was not in the majority on the Budget Committee, I will not be attending that meeting to do the budget cuts.  I think that is a ludicrous process.  If they had the ability to be conservative, why do we even have a need for a budget #2 and budget #3? 

Therefore, I feel Mr. Katz’s remand will backfire, as who knows what the Budget Committee will come up with for cuts.  Do you want to gamble on next year's budget for the town?  I certainly do not.   Also, I certainly do not want to pay 55 cents more per thousand on the tax rate.  Understandably here, Budget #3 is the only one that makes any sense and is a reasonable budget, in my opinion.

Madeline O'Dell

Tiverton Budget Committee member