Too Much Truth For The Citizens Of Lisbon To Comprehend

SERIOUS BUDGET ISSUES

At last night’s Public Hearing the people of Lisbon were notified the proposed budget will raise taxes approximately 2 mil rate. This equates to approximately $200.00 per $100,000 valuation. This is only the proposed budget as it stands as of May 8^th, 2012. The town and school are still working to improve their budgets. It is amazing how easily our town council can be manipulated by the town manager and Brooks.

Several months ago, I asked a County Commissioner what services Lisbon receives for the $574,197.52 taxpayers pay in County Tax. The following is a listing of services provided:

Register of Deeds

Register of Probate

Emergency Management

District Attorney   

County Corrections  

Court house building operations

911 Call answering

All other towns but Lewiston, Auburn, Poland and Lisbon also receive dispatching services. Lewiston-Auburn owns a 911 center that dispatches Lewiston and Auburn fire and police departments as well as Poland’s fire and rescue department.

Lisbon taxpayers are paying approximately $500,000 of additional tax dollars to operate the Lisbon Communications Center. The town could save $500,000 tax dollars by taking advantage of the County services being provided already. 

Brooks duped his bought town council into keeping the Lisbon Communications center operational instead of saving the tax payers approximately half million dollars.

In other words, we are paying for services we are not receiving; why is that?

By utilizing County services, which we are already paying for, Lisbon could reduce its operational cost and eliminate the need to raise taxes this year. It is baffling why the taxpayers of Lisbon are forced to pay twice for the same service when it could be provided by the County and paid only once. Right now Lisbon's Communications Center is not even a 911 Call Answering Center; Lewiston/Auburn is the 911 Call Answering Center for Androscoggin County. As it stands right now, Lewiston/Auburn 911 calls the Lisbon Communications Center to dispatch Police, Fire and Rescue in a 911 situation. So again, the question remains why we are spending approximately $500,000 dollars of taxpayers’ funds to operate a communications center when it is part of the services offered by the County and incorporated in our County Tax?

Larry Fillmore

Concerned Citizen

Larry, thank you for all that you do.  After  Forty years of Military Service, (Army/Department of Defense), I can only commend you for trying to help the Citizens in Lisbon and The Lisbon Reporter in Bringing the True Facts Out for the People To Digest.  The Rest Is Up to them. There will be more to come.

Signed with out remorse, 

Todd Comber

"The One, Only, Original Lisbon Reporter"

"Hey David T. Brooks, Now would be another great time for you to pull your bottom lip up over your head and swallow just like Pauline has done for you!!!"