Taxpayers Aren’t Santa

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Ken O'Brien
Note:At last week’s town council meeting the town manager noted that December 3rd’smeeting would address the annual setting of the tax rate. He reminded us thatthe rate was determined by the town budget which had already been settled upon last spring. In light of this I thought it appropriate to reprint apost that The O’Zone first published on December 6^th of lastyear. If so inclined, you may wish to examine the commentsthat were made by certain readers at the time.


__TaxpayersAren’t Santa__
December 5th's [2011] Southbridge town council meetingillustrated the upside down nature of town government.
Councilors and citizens were informed that they hadno choice regarding the property tax rate. Their only choice was whether therewould be a single rate for all property owners or different rates forindustrial, commercial and residential properties.
Now, whether you're a household or a business, thefirst thing you do when you prepare a budget is determine your income. Then youformulate a budget that fits within that income.
Not so for town government. First you establish yourbudget and later you set the income you will extort from the taxpayers.
I believe that it is time to institute a change thatwill correct this topsy-turvy situation.
The Town Charter provides in Section 4-2-3 that"The manager shall:(d) prepare, assemble and present to the council theannual town operating and capital budgets, shall present said budgets to the council in a formatacceptable to the council and cooperate with the council in all financialmatters."
Given that the budgets must be “in a formatacceptable to the council" I would propose the following addition to thetown bylaws:
"4-102.5 The annual operating and capitalbudget submissions of the town manager to the town council shall include aprojected impact upon the existing property tax rate given informationavailable at the time of the vote on the budget. Any increase from theprojections when the proposed tax rate is actually presented to the councilshall trigger a mandate that the budget be amended to conform to the revenueassumptions presented when the budget was adopted unless the council suspendsby a 2/3 vote said mandate."
This provision will restore sanity to the budgetingand taxing process where town officials must act like responsible adults ratherthan children expecting that Santa will fulfill their every wish.
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