Caribou Charter letters to the editor

To the editor:
On June 8th, we have an opportunity to take the first step to make a substantial change in the way our city is managed.
Last summer, while collecting signatures for our petition, (over 600 residents signed, by the way) we heard over and over that people wanted something better in the way our city is managed.
The article appearing in the May 19th edition of the Aroostook Republican: “Charter Referendum Question on June Ballot” was not in error, but left much to be desired concerning the June 8th vote.
The June 8th question on the ballot is whether the citizens of Caribou want to establish a commission to review the city charter, and possibly make recommendations for some changes. This is all the question asks: Do you want to establish a commission, a group, a body, whatever to study the charter.
If you decide you do, a group of volunteers — you, your neighbor or any resident of Caribou can submit their name for the November 2010 election. You, I repeat, you will vote for candidates of your choice to serve on the commission.
No money has been spent!
Once the commission has been selected by you, the voter, they will have a year to review and make proposed changes to the charter. In the November 2011 election, you, I repeat, you will be asked to vote for or against the proposed changes to charter.
Remember, on Tuesday, June 8th, all you will be asked to do is to vote to establish a charter commission. Vote “Yes” and change begins. Vote “No” and everything stays as is.

To the editor:
I have been waiting to hear someone speak out against the proposed Charter Commission to revise our Municipal Charter being proposed by a few outspoken residents and past councilor of our city. I am hoping that this silence is not an indication of indifference, but rather the indication of a ‘silent majority’. I do not feel totally comfortable with the silence however, and feel compelled to share some of my thoughts.
First, I think our elected officials need to hear that we support them. I think it is time that we tell our councilors that you have been elected by us because we trust you to carry out the duties to govern our city, guide our city manager and oversee the budget of this city, in a manner that benefits the general good of our community.
The voice of a community is heard through the vote, but in these difficult times I believe it needs to become more visible than just the voting booth. I can assure you that I have not voted for any of our sitting councilors because I expected that they were going to raise my taxes, or spend my tax dollars in indiscriminate ways. I vote for these individuals because I believe that they have the best interest of our city at heart. I believed it when I briefly sat on the council and for the most part I still believe it today. They live here. They attend our churches and their children have, or do, attend our schools. They pay their share of property taxes that they impose on themselves. They also have to deal with decisions that come from the county, the state and the federal governments.
In my opinion our city charter has served us fairly well. Nothing is perfect and it is foolhardy to think that rewriting the charter will result in a perfect document. Someone will forget to cross the proverbial ‘T’. But the process being proposed will impede the governing of our city.
How cumbersome, (and expensive by the way), do you think our budgetary process will become if the budget is sent to the taxpayers every year for approval? Every budget cycle will have to be printed on ballots, a location reserved for the setting up of the voting booths, the hours and hours of volunteer time to sit at the polls to hand out ballots, the hours spent tabulating into the wee hours of the night, the legal reviews, etc., etc. This will add an additional tax burden on Caribou’s taxpayers that could, in my opinion, be better invested.
I can assure you that when I consider my personal budget it is most certainly based on past expenses. I do not want to try to guess what the city’s budget should be based upon how much I would like it to be.
I want my road plowed so I can get to work in the winter. I want the pot holes filled so I do not destroy the rims on my car, or worse. I want the town pool open for the children. I want the Wellness Center to be available for the wellness of each and every one of us. I appreciate the excellence of our Fire and Ambulance Department, our Library and our own Nylander Museum.
Please, vote “No” on this referendum.

To the editor:
On June 8, the citizens of Caribou will have an opportunity to decide whether to form a Charter Commission for the purpose of examining and possibly creating a new charter for our community. When making this important decision, it is necessary to consider several factors.
First, Caribou’s current City Charter is a reflection of Maine State Law Title 30A which addresses Municipalities and Counties and the basic principles by which these entities can operate. This state law has maintained its stability with little need for changes while also allowing flexibility within each local government to tailor its procedures to meet the needs of the citizens. Unique to Caribou, for example, is its decision to have seven councilors elected at large to represent the interests of the entire population of the city. Also unique to Caribou is its decision to have the ceremonial, non-political mayoral position selected from within the elected council. By following State Law Title 30A and customizing our guiding principles to meet the individual needs of our community, the current City Charter has served our community well for 43 years.
Second, the City Charter, our founding document, is a living document to which proposed amendments can be made. While the existing Charter serves the overwhelming majority of the people well, there are occasions for which minor changes must be made to update the charter or to align it with updated state laws. An example of this would be a recent change to the education funding implementation by the state. The law still requires that Caribou fund education for its students, but an amendment to Section 6 of our current Charter will update the wording to match that of the state. The City is currently able to make adjustments to the Charter as needs arise.
Third, the selection of a Charter Commission dictates a detailed review of the entire charter and a redrafting of the whole document with no requirement to maintain any existing structures of the old document. A redrafting may result in a few changes, or there may be a significant alteration from the original charter.
Finally, the question for each voter is whether or not the existing charter that has served this community successfully since 1967 needs to be completely revisited or can we continue to improve the charter while retaining all the good qualities within the framework of the existing document. A “Yes” on this question will open the door to major changes in your city government, while a “No” vote retains the existing structure while still allowing for changes to meet the needs of the community.

To the editor:
Well folks we’re down to the wire and it’s my last chance to convince the electorate to do the right thing and vote at election time on the ballot questions that will affect their lives forever.
A “Yes” vote on the charter commission will provide the citizens with a means to control their local economy in a way that will give them pride in their community as a safe haven from uncontrollable taxation. Isn’t this the American way? Why are our elected officials so dead set against this? Isn’t it the responsibility of our elected officials to take their marching orders from the citizens who elected them? How many times has any citizen in the community tried to convince the electorate to go down a certain path only to be subjected to a complete reversal just to prove that they were in charge and positioned you as a sucker for voting for them in the first place? But ho hum, isn’t this the Obama, the messiah way? Have you also noticed that the council has a circle of friends that always seem to get certain privileges that most are not entitled to?
The public servants/employees in caribou outnumber the private sector who pays all their taxes and wages and benefits. Think about what I just said — pays all their taxes and wages and benefits. If everyone in the private sector that is eligible to vote one way on all these issues, it would take some public service employees that have a responsible outlook, appreciation for their job and compassion for the citizens in this community who provide them with a great living wage with terrific benefits to be on board with the private sector and provide the necessary votes to make things right.
Have you noticed that no one in the public sector is rushing to quit their job to go back to the private sector? Is this wishful thinking that maybe some public employees would do that? Maybe, but I can’t believe that all those in those positions are bad people and they do have compassion for those who provide them with a living but they can be intimidated by the powers to be and that can be scary for some employees that have families to support and votes can be swayed by this.
Now let’s get down to the nitty gritty. Do your civic duty and get out and vote. Especially those of you in the private sector. Martin’s dictionary on definition of private sector: All citizens who are not dependent on government employment or handouts for their living expenses.
Vote: “Yes” on a charter commission.
Vote: “Yes” on the question to rescind the law that was voted to lower your income tax and embellish it with higher and sales tax on everything including the air we breath. Let the powers to be come up with justifiable ideas on what and why if they need more taxes.
Vote: “No” on all bond issues, they provide 0 benefits in the long run, only long-term debt that we bequeath to future generations.

To the editor:
Fact: The city of Caribou is on a calendar fiscal year, meaning that our yearly budget starts on January 1st and ends on December 31st of the same year. The RSU (Regional School Unit) that is our school system has a fiscal year that starts July 1st of one year and ends June 30th of the following year, a split calendar fiscal year. This is a common system that communities have throughout the state.
Fact: The city of Caribou raises revenues (taxes) based on the calendar fiscal year. Council must reconcile this with the split calendar year budget of the RSU. This has been accomplished with the following formula; (please do not get confused over the formula, just know that one exists.)
(Half of one years RSU obligation) + (Half of the following years RSU obligation)
$278,491,200 (the value of the city)
This formula will equate to the portion of your tax obligation to the city that our local school system will use to educate the students. For 2010 this equals a .26 mil (1/4 mil) increase to educate Caribou students.
In 2008 the Caribou students were educated for approximately $3,140,927.
Last year (2009) the RSU educated the Caribou students for approximately $280,000 less than 2008.
This year (2010) the RSU is requesting to educate the Caribou students for approximately $140,000 more than 2009.
Again, let’s look at the formula:
+$140,000 (Half of 2009 savings) + – minus $70,000 (Half of the 2010 proposed increased cost)
$278,491,200 (the value of the city)
This formula equates to the savings/cost of educating our students as compared to last year’s cost.
For 2010 this equals a .26 mil (1/4 mil) decrease to educate Caribou students.
Why the difference?
Because the majority of the council voted in 2009 not to follow the formula but instead take all of the savings passed down from the RSU to the Caribou taxpayer to operate last years’ municipal budget. The +$140,000 in my above analysis does not exist. It was spent last year.
The problem now is that when you go to the polls and vote on the education question you might think that your increased tax obligation this coming year (2010) is due to the education of Caribou students, when in fact, it’s due to municipal spending via the vote of the council in 2009.
Some council members feel the need to tell the citizens how they should vote on certain issues because the citizens are confused and don’t understand. Fair enough, with this council I can understand the confusion. I’m not smart enough to tell anyone how to vote and do not believe in that philosophy. I do believe that it’s my job on the city council to make things as transparent and understandable as possible so you can vote your philosophy in an educated way.
Please vote on June 8th.
Please educate yourself to the true reason that your tax obligation might increase in 2010, then I’ll only ask you to vote what you believe to be the right way.
I believe “welder” Doug’s comments at the public hearing on the municipal budget to be correct. “The council is only using band-aids in dealing with the problems within the municipal budget.”
Follow the money. Peter is paying Paul.