The Lisbon Reporter

WELCOME TO THE LISBON REPORTER. In an effort to keep our community informed of what is going on at local and Federal levels of government, we decided to create this on-line newspaper. It is our hope that this on-line newspaper will help you stay informed so that you can get involved and take action for the benefit of our ENTIRE community. Thank you for visiting and please check back frequently for information about what is happening in LISBON/LISBON FALLS, MAINE USA

Thursday, April 20, 2017

INCOMPETENCE IN GOVERNMENT – PART 3

This all started when the Town Manager, Diane Barnes’, with the help of Lydia Colston, Finance Director, conned the Town Council into amending the Fund Balance Policy on March 7, 2017. This reduced the requirement to maintain an Unassigned Fund Balance on hand from $2.85 million to $1.74 million. This freed up approximately $1.11 million of our tax dollars.

This left Mrs. Barnes and the Town Council with a problem of what to do with our tax dollars. It did not take them long to decide to spend these dollars on things like replacing two new cruisers; upgrade the unnecessary communication center; purchase a wheeler; a paint spreader; a new trailer and a salt shed just to name a few items. All of these items are going to add to the amount of money it takes to operate this town. You do realize the tax dollars are determined by the amount of money it takes to operate the town. With these additions our taxes will continue to rise to cover these costs. However, the purchase will be made by the Unassigned Fund Balance for this year but on the years out taxpayers will have to cover the maintenance and operating cost with more tax dollars.

Here is a concept that Mrs. Barnes and at least four of the Town Council do not want to hear. Since these funds are our tax dollars, why not use them to reduce the current operating cost of the town and reduce our taxes for a change. Can anyone remember a year when our taxes did not go up? It certainly has been a while. We know that Councilors Ward, Brunelle, Crafts and Albert are not interested in reducing the operating cost of the town because they had a chance to save the taxpayers $200,000.00 this year by closing the communication center and did not. Saving taxpayer money is a concept these individuals cannot handle. This is our tax dollars so why not use it where it will help the taxpayers the most.

Reducing the operating cost would reduce the requirement for more tax dollars. Mrs. Barnes and these members of the Town Council cannot figure out; that you have to reduce spending to reduce the operating cost of the town. Their answer to everything is to spend, spend spend.

YOU JUST CANNOT FIX STUPID!!!!

Larry Fillmore