The Borough:

Not Much For The Money     

To the Editor:

George Schmidt hit the nail on the head in his letter (Letter Hive, May 23, 2008. “Is The Borough Worth It?”) questioning the need for borough residents to shell out hundreds of dollars extra for borough taxes each year. That’s on top of Newtown’s ever-rising property taxes.

According to his research, the $218,000 budget includes the salaries for 11 borough personnel who duplicate functions of Newtown officials. Can someone tell me why this additional layer of government is needed?

My guess is that most residents would wholeheartedly agree with Mr Schmidt’s assessment that we don’t get much for our money, yet simply grit their teeth and pay the bill because they recognize the time and effort required to challenge it.

The borough form of government is entirely redundant with town government and residents who are struggling enough as it is to pay for gasoline, groceries, and, of course, our property taxes, don’t need this unnecessary burden.

Dawn Handschuh

36West Street, Newtown                                                  May 29, 2008