Community Corner
Proposed Tax Increase shows Lack of Compassion and Understanding of Clinton’s Taxpayers & Residents
Every year Clinton has needlessly increased taxes. Our town officials can sugar coat it anyway they want to, but the bottom line is taxes go up and it is not necessary. You would think that the Board of Selectmen, the Board of Finance and the Board of Education would have the good sense to realize that we have the highest tax rate on the shoreline. Just ask any realtor. Due to our high tax rate houses are not selling in Clinton.
Old Saybrook, Westbrook, Guilford and Madison can provide excellence in both town services and education at a lower mill rate. How are they able to do this? Perhaps they know something about good governance that we do not.
Does our town government understand that there is a real, continuing economic crisis in Clinton? Unemployment is high. Exorbitant fuel bills and electric bills from this past severe winter have crippled our citizens financially. And people who are employed are working less hours and are not getting raises. So there is no way they can afford tax increases.
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Did you know that one of our local supermarkets is supplying staples of bread and cheese to one of our local farmers? And hundreds, yes, hundreds of Clinton families each week are taking advantage of this generosity because they cannot afford to buy food to feed their families. And you want to raise taxes? Have you lost your minds?
Here are some constructive ways to lower taxes:
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Keep Capital Spending flat. It was increased 67% this year. The proposed 49% is just too much.
Keep the Finance Director a shared position and consolidate the two finance departments into one. Not a big deal, other towns do it.
Absorb the costs of the school resource officer (SRO) from the Town budget into the Education budget. This will reduce the surplus and count toward the State’s minimum budget requirement.
Budget for predictable lower employee health insurance based on the previous two years actual costs and anticipated teacher retirements.
As teachers retire, reduce staff through attrition. Remember, student enrollment projections are going down.
Just a few suggestions and we are sure that with the sharpening of a few pencils, more can be added.
It is evident that our town government has lost sight of compassion. Lost touch with the reality of what is happening with the day-to-day existence of our citizens and taxpayers. The only solution is to Vote No on May 14 and maybe they will finally listen.
Pamela B Fritz
President
Clinton Taxpayers Association
