WHEN DOES THE MADNESS STOP?

Tuesday night, at the Lisbon Community School, there will be a Public Hearing.  This Public Hearing is to allow the people the right to express their opinion on the proposed 2015-2016 School and Municipal Budgets.

After all the adjustments in moving cost lines from department to department, there is a difference of $108,419.00.  Last year, the total was $7,963,002.00 and this year it is $8,071,421.00.    However, not all cost lines were move to the appropriate departments such as Hydrant Rental is still under Public Works when Public Works has nothing to do with Hydrant Rental.  It would be more appropriate to put this under Public Safety, Fire Department because they use these Hydrants.  Street Lights is another cost line that is in Public Works that has nothing to do with Public Works.  This should be under General Government Miscellaneous because it pertains to the entire town and not a department.

There is a decrease in Revenue Sharing of $150,000.00 which was offset by a $237,021.00 increase in Other Revenue.  Our taxes are going up to cover additional expenses in the operations of the town; like giving themselves a 2% COLA increase and granting themselves Professional Development cost. 

The excessive spending of taxpayers’ dollars has got to stop immediately.  Last year, several of our neighbors could no longer afford to live in our community and had their homes foreclosured on and sold by the town.  On tonight’s agenda there are four more properties they are asking the Council to allow them to sell.  With this new budget, how many more of our friends and neighbors going to have to give up their dream homes in order to cover ridiculous spending.  Closing the Communication/Dispatch Center, Chairman Pease claims will save the taxpayers approximately $191,000.00. 

The real crime in our community is the lack of discipline in controlling spending.

Larry Fillmore