To the editor:

On May 21, I urge Tiverton voters to support Budget #1. This budget, prepared by dozens of elected and appointed town officials, under public scrutiny in many public meetings, is a fair and reasonable budget that balances the needs of our community with our ability to support those needs.

The alternate electors’ budgets, the Katz Budget and the Sousa Budget, were prepared a by few people behind closed doors. They have two competing budget proposals because they split up when they couldn’t agree on one! While at least Mr. Sousa shows where he would cut $600,000 – the library and the Fire Department being two of his biggest items to cut – Mr. Katz punts the decision to cut $900,000 to the Budget Committee, the members of which already gave us a fair, responsible and reasonable budget. Katz and Sousa’s budgets both would require such drastic cuts to the library that we would lose state funding for library services and for our bond payments – thus shifting the entire cost back to us.

When deciding which budget to support, ask yourself these questions: Do you want a budget created through a transparent process of public hearings and debates or one created in the dark of night in someone’s home with no public input? Do you want a budget created by civic-minded elected officials or one based on personal agendas and created by secretive individuals?

These are the same individuals who have publicly stated that they don’t want taxes to support the library, want to go back to volunteer fire services, want to use your tax dollars to pay for their kids to go to private schools, and want trash pickup eliminated and force you to pay for it on your own (thus a hidden tax). Their long range plan – shift more and more services to user fees which place a greater burden on those who can least afford to pay! Say no to hidden taxes!

Please support Budget #1 on May 21

Mike Burk

Chairman, Tiverton Democratic Town Committee