Dear Editor,<\/p>\n
I tried to listen dispassionately and examine the Owego Village budget presentation and proposal. As my sainted grandmother would say, \u201cThere\u2019s a divil afoot\u201d in them numbers! <\/p>\n
First, I object to the initial presentation as pure political theatre. If the mayor truly wants community involvement, then a realistic look at the numbers is required. For example, the police budget shows across-the-board increases in FT salary 11 percent, PT salary 356 percent, overtime 150 percent, software 300 percent, clothing 600 percent, and so on. The PowerPoint presentation shows the increases as inevitable. <\/p>\n
This single-case scenario is a failure of oversight in the guise of \u201ca taxpayer\u2019s choice?\u201d I do not believe this scenario. <\/p>\n
The Mayor and trustees ran on a platform of fiscal responsibility, not these bar-room-projections. We hoped for sober boardroom decision-making. Gentlemen, curb your spending!<\/p>\n
Second, I object to the laborious recanting of the \u201csins of the past.\u201d Past budgets do need to be audited and resubmitted to the state. You and the clerk have hired an expert and this is being accomplished. While the budget presented does not give me confidence, I am willing to accept this is a problem you have solved for the future. Move on!<\/p>\n
Third, I am very leery of the projected Village building plans on top of our luxurious new gold-plated sewer plant. New clerk\u2019s office, DPW garage and Fire base? All are in the flood plain, have small offices, and are not energy efficient? As all citizens do, we treasure our neighbors who work tirelessly for modest compensation in all village departments. Do those same employees want 25 percent higher property taxes in return for a larger office and no pay increase? I think not. <\/p>\n
Is the clerk\u2019s office any more at risk than the citizens who face the Susquehanna Flood Roulette? It\u2019s important to have the DPW garage high and dry in a crisis, but aren\u2019t we already in a crisis? My vote is to wait, bet again, until our fiscal house is in better order. The proposal mentions state grants, but the Village has already passed on grants where the costs associated with the grants were beyond our means. <\/p>\n
To the Mayor and the Trustees, if you truly want interaction, then deal with us as optimistic and informed fiscal watchdogs, not as victims of an inevitable decline. Tighten your belts and give us better choices, not agenda-driven scare tactics!<\/p>\n
Sincerely,<\/p>\n
Peter C. Gordon<\/p>\n
Owego, N.Y.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Dear Editor, I tried to listen dispassionately and examine the Owego Village budget presentation and proposal. As my sainted grandmother would say, \u201cThere\u2019s a divil afoot\u201d…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-63576","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-letters"],"yoast_head":"\n