Letter to the Editor: South Windsor Resident Opposes Budget

Open Letter to the Citizens of South Windsor:

I attend 90 percent of all town council meetings and most of the time I am the only one in attendance that does not have a vested interest in some agenda item so know what is happening in town.

For the first time I am really concerned about the present council's actions. This year there will be an average property tax increase of approximately 9 percent or approximately $500. This has been caused by two unusual items, one being the revaluation which shifted taxes from commercial/industrial property to residential property and the second having to make the first bond payment for the large Water Pollution facility up grade.

What really concerns me however is that there are a lot of the council members who are not concerned about this large increase on many of the property owners in town who have financial problems due to the economy (unemployment, pay reductions, loss of hours, low earnings on their savings, people on fixed incomes etc.).

It is even worse as they want to add expenses to the budget for wants not needs. This is not the time to spend money on pure wants versus needs. Their only justification is that interest rates are at an all time low, so we will get the best cost now. While this is true this is not a good justification for expenses for not-needed projects.

The only way that these additional items will not be approved is if taxpayers either contact their representative and voice their objection or attend the next town council meeting and speak. When enough citizens show up and speak the council listens. IF you do nothing, then you have no one to blame but yourself.

Don Gonsalves