The Town Needs To

Go On An Austerity Budget

To the Editor:

The recent Newtown Bee article “Teachers, School Supporters Dominate Budget Hearings” [2/27/09] contained a quote from Tisha McCoy, “When you cut my salary, you’re cutting my family’s salary.”

I have a question for Ms McCoy. What does she think the property tax burden does to the family of a Newtown taxpayer?

The answer is simple: every dollar spent on property taxes is essentially cutting their family’s salary!

The economy is tanking, property values declined by 30 percent, unemployment is rising, and the stock market has lost 50 percent of its value. Against this background are the town officials signaling they plan to “hold the line” at an approximately two percent tax increase. How out of touch can you be?

The high school expansion budget was passed in a totally different economic climate, perhaps never to return. To go ahead with plans to spend that kind of money in today’s world is a total disconnect with reality.

The town should go on a full blown austerity budget. Drastic measures are required. The burden for funding public education must be born by the public, not just property owners.

I suggest an across the board cut of ten percent on both the town and school budget, reducing the size and scope of the high school expansion project and paying down of the town’s debt to reduce its debt service, which is approximately ten percent of the budget!

What can the taxpayers do with their ten percent reduction of property taxes? They can pay for increased federal taxes, increased gasoline taxes, increased licensing fees, new toll fees and oh yes... food!

Ronald Polard

5 Point O’ Rocks Road, Newtown                                                                   March 1, 2009