I think this is where I'm supposed to be....
It certainly has been a while since I've posted anything here at GilfordGrok - there's been a lot of stuff going on in other areas that have needed my attention. However, now can be the time to play catch up on things that have gone on and just put my (albeit, late) 2 cents in.
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Congratulations to both Mr. Ruggles and Mr. Dunn for being appointed to their new positions (Finance Director and Town Administrator)! It will be good to meet with and get to know them during the upcoming Budget season.
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Speaking of the Budget season - there will be a lot of concerns expressed this year that rising costs will be affecting both the Town and the SAU. Framed by the question of "what is the proper role of government?", it will be interesting to see where the leadership of both entities (Selectmen, School Board) believe the priorities of the town should be.
Not everything that people will want can or should be funded. Let's see which holds sway during the presentations - the needs of government vs the needs of the regular taxpayer.
Me? I always take the side of the latter - after all, their priorities should be to see to the needs of their families first. Government is an expense, a mandatory (and needed) expense. But when push comes to shove, whose budget should, and will, be honored first?
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And I would be remiss if I thought that the issue of the non-profits / NGOs / professional services organizations seeking taxpayer monies was over with the voting done by the townfolks in the last election (the warrant articles which you, the townfolks, voted only to keep 2 NGOs in the budget).
I'm quite sure that the pitches to the Selectmen have probably started, they will start with the Budget Committee again, and once more, the Letters to the Editor will fly. I just wish for one thing to happen: that the NGOs would stop equating the use of Town Taxpayer money with measuring the level of support from that particular Town.
The true measure is not by persuading a handful of politicians (of which I am one) that property tax money should be used for their organization. Rather, it should be the amount of TIME and funding that individuals and voluntary organizations (e.g., Rotary, Lions, Elks, you name it) offer.
Yeah, THAT'S going to happen real soon!
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The land sale to the Gilford Village Knolls (and then the money to the Library Trustees)
I, for one, was glad to see it fail. While the Selectmen were granted the authority to conduct the sale of the property by warrant, I still maintain that I would have preferred to see it go to the highest bidder. That said, I would still like for the original donors receive their money back (with, perhaps, a bit of interest) to do with as they wish and then the rest of the proceeds used to offset the tax burden.
Oh well.
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