BRATTLEBORO — I am writing to urge all voters in Brattleboro to get out and vote on April 17 on the town budget.
I am a town meeting representative who originally voted in favor of the police/fire proposal because, having toured the facilities, I could see the need. I can still see the need, but I no longer feel that town taxpayers can afford to do all three projects at the same time.
Most town meeting reps at the meeting this March felt that the Selectboard had tried hard to keep a level-funded budget. The major discussion was about the cost of the police/fire project and the wish to scale it back or do it one piece at a time.
This year, there is over $400,000 in the budget for the first $5 million bond for the project. We are already committed to this and have to pay it back. The only way we have to scale the project back or slow it down is to have the Selectboard not take out the next $9 million bond, which the board plans to do this May. About $216,000 was in the budget to pay for the first year's interest on this next bond.
In my opinion, this year's Annual Representative Town Meeting was difficult for everyone present, whether it was discussing the 1-percent local option tax, the police/fire department, or the many other items on the agenda. I think that most of us left exhausted.
There are no easy answers to the real needs of the town and how to pay for them. However, many people have felt that all town voters should have a chance to vote on a project of the scope of the police/fire renovations, and that is why 56 town meeting reps signed a petition to bring this budget vote to all voters in Brattleboro.
Although you can only vote “yes” or “no” on the whole budget and not on the specific amount that relates to the scheduled $9 million bond, I hope the Selectboard members will see a ”no” vote on the budget as a strong recommendation that they should not take out another bond and should focus on scaling down the project, perhaps using the first bond to work on the central fire station and then exploring alternatives to meeting the police department's needs.
Regardless of where you stand on this issue, I urge you to get out and vote! Voting will take place on Thursday, April 17 at the Municipal Center on Main Street from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Early ballots can be cast until April 16 at the town clerk's office during regular office hours.