Selectmen Issues: February 2009 Archives

The Meredith News  February 12, 2009

To the Editor: It’s hard for me to believe that once again there is a small group of people that are coming through the back door to propose a plan to build new ball fields at the site of the Moultonboro Lions Club. This is only a back-door tactic to once again to try to build a recreation center after it was voted down at last year’s Town Meeting. This group of individuals must have not listened to the voters last year, who are made up of mostly retires on fixed incomes, that voted this whole issue down. Smarten up! Last year there was talk about a recession, when the recreation center/gym/pool/ ballfields were talked about and with the town once again becoming a donor town. Well, listen up! We are in a recession and in uncharted waters and we are going to become a donor town again. This group of people, looking to spend tax money at the expense of taxpayers at this time - get out of the bubble and quit watching Sesame Street! This economy is crumbling and thousands of people are out of work and losing jobs daily and citizens are hurting, both working and the ones retired. You may not at this point be affected from this crisis, but believe me, it could happen soon. No one will escape it. No one has a job for life today and I wonder if you were behind the eight ball, if you would want to see taxes go up? This is a year when budgets should and must be cut and no so-called pork

spending! I would also like to point out that there was a article a few days back that indicated that the youth population is declining in Moultonboro and there is going to be a study done to the cause of this. Question? Who are we building these new ball/soccer fields for? The retirees who make up the majority of the town? It can not be for the increase in our youth population. Message to the selectmen - please check with the Meredith selectmen to see if you can learn something from them, since their proposed budget is a decrease of 1.94 percent instead of an increase of 0.21 percent in ours!

Joe Quaresima

Moultonboro

"People in the private sector who have had their wages and salaries frozen have every right to expect similar direction in the public sector"

Editorial The Citizen

Friday, January 30, 2009 

Local municipal and school officials in the area are working at what they characterize as cuts in their budget proposals. In most cases what that means is that they are working at minimizing increases.
For example, the proposed budget for the Shaker Regional School District is $157,861 higher than the current budget, while Inter-Lakes is looking at an increase of $46,774.
It is not only the weather that has turned cold. The economic climate has turned icy, too.
Town administrators and school superintendents and school boards are faced with having to provide the best affordable services at the least possible cost.
Among the hard realities of budgeting for the coming fiscal year are these: The number of people who are out of work is increasing. There is little reason to expect increases in earnings. Investment values are melting. Energy costs are rising again. People have less money for discretionary spending.
There is little expectation of a change any time soon.
People in the private sector who have had their wages and salaries frozen have every right to expect similar direction in the public sector.
It is not only about wages and salaries. It is also about levels of service.
Provide funds for what has to be done. Do not abandon maintenance but approach new projects with caution.
This is not a time to expand programs. There might be program expansions and projects that are desirable or timely in the eyes of some people but are they affordable on the part of many? Probably not.
The expansion of a program is seldom if ever an emergency undertaking. What might be immediately beneficial to one family might add to the difficulties of another.
Cities and school districts must continue to whittle at their respective debt burdens. And it is false economy to add to the burden during difficult times, thinking it will be repaid in more prosperous times. Who among us can say when prosperity will return?
It is cruel to add to the tax burden of the unemployed and it is shortsighted to take from people and institutions who have not been hit as hard — yet.
Historically, taxes travel in only one direction and there is no sign of reversal later this year. While people toil to make ends meet and owners of businesses struggle valiantly to put their books in the black and maintain work for their employees, the tax collector will not be denied, though through no fault of his or her own.
America’s economy is in a crippled state. The pain is being felt in every state and every large and small community. The pain is widespread and it will be relieved only if each of us is willing to participate in the sacrifice.

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