It's Budget Time In Sturbridge

It's not often I agree with Mr. Creamer, really it all goes back to those damn brick sidewalks, but he does make some good points in his latest blog post. Selectman Thomas R. Creamer: The "Fairness Doctrine"

While I am not a senior yet, I know what they are going through as I am sure many of you do also. I have been working for the same amount of money for the last three years. Three years ago i could but $25 worth of gas in my pick-up and go back and forth to work all week, no it is closer to $50. My taxes have gone up, the value of my house has gone down, well except for the town's evaluation, which has risen meaning more taxes. I can't afford anymore increases.

Have I made some bad decisions which have affected my financial situation? Absolutely, which is why I wear my fingers to the bone submitting articles to various web sites to earn some extra dollars, hoping I get enough hits to generate some income or that someone buys something from my Amazon Store , which leaves precious little time for me to enjoy my property here in Sturbridge. And there certainly is no money to be spent here in the local economy, we don't go out to eat, we'll never be able to go to the movies at the new movie theater which is coming, and I am betting I am the norm.

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Like Mr. Creamer, I have all the respect in the world for those who work for the town, I did for 20 something years. They need to understand though that the very people who are paying their salaries can no longer afford increases. Looking into my crystal tea pot, here is my prediction for the next Town Meeting. Even though the Finance Committee will recommend the 2% across the board increase, all the usual suspects will put in holds on each budget item dealing with some of the salaries, and there will be the usual substitute motions asking for transfers from this account to that account to pay for more for  this or that department head. And of course this will lead to the usual discussions on the floor about how hard this one or that one works and what a good job they are doing and if we don't pay them more they will quit and what a terrible loss that will be. And of course there will be talk of having to cut down the hours at the library and the Town Hall, which by the way I can't do business at now without having to take unpaid time off from my work, and on and on and on.

Enough is enough.