Yep, now ’tis the season – budget season for the town and school district in my little hamlet. Per normal, the school district is the larger by twice even as enrollment is going down – that percentage never seems to change. However, we do the town budget first calendar wise and we’ve already started doing our subcommittee investigations.
My first one was “chaired” by another BudComm member and the town department (e.g., Administration et al) was handled by the Town Administrator. Now, I really do wish that I had brought my camera (have been doing the “real” meetings but not the subs, as this season I backed off compared to last year). Why?
We had a complete flip after March’s town meeting in the composition of the Budcomm where 4 Conservatives were tossed and 4 progressives (more to the point, let’s use the term “school afficionados” as their agenda was to protect the school budget from us cold, heartless, Individuals who are “anti-Community” – and I’ll leave it at that for the time being). I think that the Town Administrator felt a bit emboldened as when I started to question some of the spending, I got “the look” and as told in a bit of a haughty voice:
“If you want to change policy, then run for Selectmen”
I did have several retorts go through my head in rapid succession but I held my tongue so I just stared back.
It does seem that the new members, given their ideologies, are just fine with with this – someone “higher up” decided thus and thus should it should be. In my thinking, and according to RSA, this is a false mindset. It shouldn’t matter what the policy is, nor in what area the policy exists, it is the BudComm that decides what will be presented to the townfolks. But the arrogance in saying so did bother me a bit – and wasn’t surprised that he said it.
I WAS surprised when he openly stated that “IF you do this, I’ll just transfer monies from DPW road account – it’s at $1.3 million and we’ll (meaning the Selectmen) move it. And you’ll be responsible for less roads being redone.”
So, in one phrase he basically told us:
- Here’s where our “visible” slush fund stash is
- And I DARE you to touch it.
To be truthful, that account has always been pulled from in lean years knowing that “catch up” will come due if transfers happened for good purposes. Using it as a political weapon is not that.
To be continued…
