More on the Town Council Workshop last Tuesday

2012-2013 BUDGET

Last Tuesday, December 13, 2011, the Town Council held its first Workshop devoted to the 2012-2013 town budget.  Of course, there was no notification of the subject matter going to be discussed on the town web site.  In fact, there was no agenda posted under the Agenda section of the web site.  The town council does not want you to attend or know what is going on.  Residents cannot speak or ask questions but at least you would understand which council is doing what to you.  Thank you for the article on the Lisbon Reporter detailing what took place at this workshop.

Pomelow is concerned about the roads in town especially Route 196.  Wake up Lori, Route 196 is scheduled to be repaved by the state in the spring of next year.  You should be more concerned about the roads your husband’s tractor trailers are destroying daily.  Local roads are not designed to handle the excessive weight of tractor trailers loaded or unloaded.

Bowie (the puppet master) wants every town employee, except his wife, a lump sum one-time bonus because of the lack of pay raises and the manner they have been treated.  Apparently, Bowie forgot the 2011-2012 budgets approved a 1.75% pay raise for all town employees and some department heads received $10,000 pay increases.  Could it be he is losing his memory along with everything else?  Bowie cannot include his wife because this would violate the Ethics Panel 2009 ruling on conflict of interest.  Are you kidding me!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mason was the only councilor who offered a suggestion to help reduce the operating cost of the town.  Gina made a great suggestion of allowing overnight camping at Beaver Park for a fee.  Bowie jumped in and suggested the town combine the Parks Department with the Recreation Department with a cost saving by removing Verla Brooks as department head because she does not need to be at Beaver Park 24/7.  According to Bowie the police department can handle any problems.  Are you kidding me, first the Police Department has plenty to do, even if they choose not to, without handling Beaver Park.  Second, Verle Brooks has done an excellent job with Beaver Park.  Adding Beaver Park to the Recreation Department is not going to save any funding but it will increase the requirements to travel back and forth.  So where will the additional vehicle come from and is the town going to have to pay for gas and maintenance on yet another vehicle?  It is perfectly clear to me Bowie has no clue or desire to improve the town efficiency or reduce the overall operating cost of Lisbon.  Bowie continues to demonstrate his lack of desire to reduce taxes in this town.

Ward and Lunt are not property taxpayers in Lisbon so they do not have a vested interest to reduce taxes in this town.  Both have stated they do not believe the citizens of Lisbon can handle a tax increase.  The proof is in the pudding, we will have to wait and see how they vote when it comes time.

Eldridge wants to move garden mowing to Parks Department.  Moving the cost from one department to the other is not a cost reduction.  It is a method to conceal operating costs.  This is exactly the method Eldridge utilizes to cover up the real cost of the operating the Police and Fire Departments. 

Why don’t we do something special this year and require the town manager and the finance director to list every line item in the department or sub division it is associated with reflecting the true operating cost.  This way there will be no hiding cost and will enable the taxpayers to see exactly where there tax dollars are being spent.

Why doesn’t the town council look for real cost saving in an effort to reduce the operating cost of the town in order to reduce spending and our taxes.  We have suggested combining the Police and Fire Department into the Public Safety Department.  We could eliminate both Brooks and Galipeau and get a qualified individual as Public Safety Director.  Turn the Communication Center over to the County.  This would save the town of Lisbon approximately $500,000 taxpayers’ dollars and help the County Commissioners with their problem of how to consolidate Communications Centers.  It would also enable the town of Lisbon to receive revenue from the County for rental on the communication space in the town office building.  What a concept save $500,000 tax dollars and in exchange receive a rental fee (money coming into the town)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I agree with Peter Reuter; this town council needs to be tested for drugs several times a year.  These individuals are making decisions affecting our taxes and our way of life.  I want to ensure they are drug free making these decisions.

Larry Fillmore
Concerned Citizen