Tuesday - keep piling it on

Today, I want to ask you some questions, at least starting out.  

December, January and February.  Prime heating months.  How many of you using gas for heating saw a 40% increase in your costs for that period vs. 2014?

How many of you think that the Town should pick up the tab for say an extra $300 in one month in expenses, (more or less, guess which one) so a town building can be used multiple days a week by third parties?

If your answer is that's okay, is it still okay if the attendees are paying a fee to someone, other than the town to attend?

Just curious ...

It's April 1st folks.  A very appropriate day seeing as our Selectmen have a budget hearing meeting scheduled today.  

It should have been April 1st last night too, but I digress.

Let's start with the little segment about legal expenses incurred for the Roger/Oxford money pits. Seems the $1,000 authorization has turned into a nearly $2,000 bill.  Any real surprises here? Any surprise no one can answer how?  

Yes, I know town counsel is on trial.  Can't be contacted. Need an explanation.  

What you don't need is/was a crystal ball to see how that authorization was going to get blown out of the water.  

What you also didn't need a crystal ball for way back when is the current siphoning of funds, in wee increments that will continue to go on to dump into these buildings until the selectmen take back the reins on these buildings from an advisory committee created by the selectmen.

Between the previous reserve fund transfer, the special town meeting transfer in February, the articles that have been placed on the annual and special town meetings in May, legal fees to date, and the stumbling and bumbling on these buildings, don't be surprised is the first six figures to the left of the decimal point don't end up going to recoup costs of keeping these buildings.  You should be pretty much half way there by the time those May meetings are done.

Public Access?  You want it back?  It is on the table. It was on the table last night.  

I want to thank all the helpful advice from the left of the table last night.  In the future, when and if you need an explanation on something here are two suggestions.  Either pick up the phone and make a call, or watch the tape.  You seem to oft complain about the coverage in the press, however the reporting in the newspapers is an encyclopedia compared to the reports you get.  

By the way, I heard the message.  It will be disregarded, but I did hear it.  

As far as opinions as to the reserve fund, well people who don't understand why something hasn't been acted upon yet again perhaps ought to pick up a phone. 

Fin com does not need any help from Center Street determining what is extraordinary and unforeseen.

I have said it before, I will say it again.  Feel free to take away the reserve fund.  Quite frankly, I am pretty tempted to move to do away with it myself.  

Extraordinary and unforeseen does not include bumbling and stumbling.  It doesn't include repeated mistakes, over and over again.  

Now you all may disagree with this, however unforeseen for me implies something that could not reasonably been anticipated, with just a tad of forethought.  Extraordinary, well isn't that something unusual or remarkable?  

By that definition, there is nothing unusual or remarkable about what leads to a lot of those reserve fund requests.  

The volunteer concept, well I agree.  I agree to volunteer myself.  Repeatedly.  Mainly as living prove of a certain maxim of on A. Einstein. 

I will go so far as to say no group of volunteers should have to deal with budget prep., bills, repair and maintenance of a building, etc. On the same token, no group of volunteers incapable of doing the same should have the custody and control, not to mention the decision making authority over the use of a building, or public funds.  

But I digress ...

Take the reserve fund away.  Do it.  I will support you 100%.  

It will be the first needed dose of cold water as to what happens when your budget runs out of money to a whole lot of people.  

If you watched last night's meeting, you heard the concept of consistency discussed at great lengths.  Keep that in mind when certain people apply certain criteria to some on certain issues but not on other matters.

Watch and pay close attention, not just for last night but going forward and some past actions, just how consistent some advocates of consistency can be.  

The more things change in this town folks, the more they stay the same.

Enough for today.  

Be safe.