To the editor:
Congratulations to all the supporters of the recent passing of the Charter Commission; one of three steps completed, two to go! If step two goes as well as step one, you the citizens of Caribou will be even closer to taking back the direction of your city from the special interest with the spend and tax mentality and their band aid approach to meaningful budget reductions.
Now on the topic of our recent tax bill increase that most of us has experienced yet again for 2010. All of the excuses including trying to reason it away because of the Homestead Exemption decrease, to the state certified assessment ratio, and the local value of the Homestead, and on to the mil rate, are no more than an excuse for near-sighted fiscal mismanagement. And yet even though they knew in advance, the majority on the City Council did not have the fiscal responsibility, or experience enough to reduce the expenditures to offset the increased burden to the taxpayers which must include “thinning the herd back and shortening up the feed trough.” The best growth for our city is in the private sector; is it truly transparent and fiscally responsible if the only thing growing is the local government? Keep this in mind, for every public position created; it takes approximately five private sector jobs to pay for it.
Oh but “hold on there Tex, that’s some mighty fine shooting you got there” As a result from the mill rate increase and numerous inquires as to why, the city office has put out a written explanation after the fact, but you the taxpayer did not receive the written excuse from the city with your tax bill now did you? No if it were not for the friction the city office is getting, there would not be one now (of course you have to drive in and pick it up yourself). Even though the 2010 budget has been set, the majority on the council used their sound fiscal reasoning to allow yet another additional last-minute $4,700 expenditure to add a 3-page color insert into the 2009 annual report; now that’s a priority expenditure isn’t it? But they did not have the forethought to think maybe they owe it to the taxpayers to at least send out the excuses with the tax bills, after all they are public servants to the people. One would have to wonder what type of fiscal responsibility is this, and were do their priorities lay?
Thanks for lending me your ear once again and let’s meet at the polls in November to continue to take back the direction of our city and its run-away fiscal mismanagement.
Doug Morrell
CFRCM chair
