I was a couple of minutes late to the Town Council meeting because of construction on Highland and boy did they jump right in. I’m trying to get a handle on some new budget numbers. The upshot is that, try as they might, the folks at town hall can’t get the tax levy increase under 9.04%.
An interesting exchange of statements: Tax Assessor David Robert was trying to explain where the budget calculates motor vehicle taxes, and council member Louise Durfee noted that increasing car taxes — which occurs outside of the mandated cap on tax increases — “helps the town.” Interesting that, in her view, there’s such a distinction between “the town” and the people who may be seeing an average of $350 or more increase in annual taxes.
7:29 p.m.
Council Member Jay Lambert noted a reservation about saying to a fifth of the town who are unemployed and another fifth who are struggling, and so on, that they’re just gong to have to accept a 9% increase.
Durfee subsequently stated that “the powers that be” have determined that some of the difficulty is going to be borne by the taxpayers. Funny, I thought the town council and school committee are the “powers that be” in Tiverton.
7:35 p.m.
Budget Committee Chairman Jeff Caron has mentioned that his committee has slated for the school district and town to each see a 1.7% increase — the extra having emerged with the proposed state funding formula for schools. (It’s not going to pass, I’d wager, but we can pretend otherwise, if we like.)
7:39 p.m.
Lambert just stated that he would only “reluctantly” support an increase at the cap, and no more. “We just have to learn to live within that economic reality.” Before the meeting, he looked back at previous budgets and noticed an approximate 180% increase of the tax levy over the last ten years. He noted, too, that the state government looks to be no better off next year.
His instruction: cut the budget, and if people don’t like what’s lost, they should motivate themselves and neighbors to change the state government so that the politicians will “get off their fat asses” and do something.
7:45 p.m.
Durfee is arguing that, since the municipal side is under a 4.5% spending increase. And the school committee is shooting to come in at a 4.5% spending increase. Yet, somehow, the tax levy goes up 9+%.
8:19 p.m.
Lambert has fallen for the reasoning that it’s responsible for the council to count the spending as “under the cap.”
Unanimous vote to move forward the budget that clearly breaks the cap.
I tried to speak just to point out two things for perspective, but the council voted (unanimously) to move the question. So much for citizen participation.
The two (very quick) points I wanted to make were:
1) A statement by Laura Epke that a $100,000 increase in the budget “only” represents a nickle increase in the tax rate. Of course, the tax rate is calculated per thousand, and the increase will be much more than that nickel’s worth. The average increase in property taxes will still be $350 or more.
2) The council is satisfied that its proposed budget only increased three-point-something percent. Inflation currently stands at 2.63% year-over-year.
8:26 p.m.
Jeff Caron has snuck up to the microphone to raise the question of requesting a tax-cap waiver. My prediction: big hoopla coming up when if we can’t keep the financial town meeting’s budget below the tax cap.
And I’d like to reiterate that every single town council voted to propose a budget that will almost certainly exceed the levy cap.
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