Taxpayers Know

How To Prioritize

To the Editor:

In response to Donald Ramsey’s [March 7] letter to the editor “Taxpayers Know Not What They Do,” the simple solution is for the school board/town to do what every responsible person has to do on a daily basis — prioritize their spending. This means, for example, not spending money on lighting for baseball fields, building new athletic fields, open space land purchases, etc. All while having a leaky roof , poor heating system, etc, in the school building itself!

The Board of Education and town have a wish list of unlimited size. All items on it are full of good intentions. If cost were not a factor, every taxpayer in the town would want the best of everything for every student and the town. Unfortunately, we live in the “real world” and the taxpayers must do what the Board of Education and town have been unable/willing to do — prioritize.

People review their personal budgets to determine how much property taxes they can afford and vote accordingly. This is a point lost in most town budget discussions. Every dollar spent for property taxes is a dollar taken out of an individual’s budget. When deciding to vote on a town budget an individual may ask themselves, “Should I use money to fix my leaky roof, repair my heating system or replace my vehicle, or should I vote for that new ball field or town hall?” It’s called prioritizing!

Ronald Polard

5 Point O Rocks Road, Newtown                                 March 10, 2008