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In this
morning's Sun Journal, Tuesday April 15, the Auburn City
Council is calling
for $million$ in cuts to the city budget.
I challenge
the town of Lisbon's Town Council and Finance Committee to do the
same.
Ways to
cut:
Town
Engineer:
MDOT is
asking for a $5,500 Trail Match
plus a
$20,000 Trail Match.
Those $$$$'s
should have been built into the $1,200,000,
One Million Two Hundred Thousand,
dollars,plus Lisbon's
matching
funds of $320,000, for a grand total of
$1,520,000.
ONE MILLION FIVE HUNDRED TWENTY THOUSAND
DOLLARS.
Savings
$$25,500.
Savings could
be realized if we had a Town Engineer that was actually a licensed
Engineer.
Savings $$$
?????.
Town
Attorney:
Hire an
attorney from Lisbon, Lewiston or Auburn instead of one who travels from
Bath, some twenty plus miles each way @$150.00 per hour.
Police/Public
Safety:
The Police
Department receives Forfeiture money that could be
used to pay for
assault rifles, document imaging, mobile radios.
The list goes
on, But asks the taxpayers to pay for these items.
In a budget
of $1.000,000, One Million $$$$$, the Town Council and Finance
Committee should be able to find significant savings.
Redevelopment
Department:
About 2 years
ago former Town Manager hired a Town Planner to the tune
of $20,000 per year, to develop a Route 196 Master Plan and Sign
Standards, and to assist the Planning Board.
The Route 196
Master Plan and Sign Standards is almost
completed,
just needs to be accepted by the Town Council.
Why continue
to pay $20,000 for a Town Planner when we
have
a highly qualified Codes Officer in Dennis Douglass?
The Planning
Board has new direction, thanks to Town
Planner, Amanda
Bunker, and we are paying over $55,000 a year
for a
Redevelopment Director, who also heads up the Moxie
Festival.
This is a
Duplication of Services.
A
savings of $20,000 or $55,000.
The town
Council has asked the School Department to cut their budget.
The Library
Department is already bare bones but is willing to cut hours of
service, a savings of only pennies compared to the police
department! ! ! !
Other savings
?? Readers, taxpayers?
A Challenge !
! ! ! ! !
Dot Fitzgerald
A Lisbon
Concerned Citizen
TOWN REPORTS ARE OUT! ! ! !
And yes, my
name is under unpaid taxes,
both real
estate and personal property.
The real
estate taxes have been paid.
I am
struggling as are many others.
1 comment:
Dot – You bring out some excellent points; however, you left off the most important savings of all, the Communication/Dispatch Center. Every year, we waste approximately $500,000.00 tax dollars supporting a communications/dispatch center when this is a duplication of service and could easily be accomplished by consolidating the Androscoggin County Dispatch with the Lisbon Communication/Dispatch center under the control of the County Commissioners. The cost to the taxpayers would be approximately $50,000.00 to $75,000.00 for service which is a savings of $450,000.00 a year. Also, if the consolidation took place in Lisbon, the town would be able to generate revenue by charging rent to the County. Ryan Leighton does not have the credentials as Licensed Professional Engineer nor is he qualified as a Grade 4 operator for the Sewer Treatment Plant and yet he received approximately $80,000.00 tax dollars for not being qualified. Cutting his salary, would save approximately $50,000.00 in tax dollars.
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