I read the two articles in your Jan. 31, 2025, edition regarding the town budget.
It seems to me that many of the “needs” in the CPIC request are really “wants.”
Just a casual removal of discretionary items saves $884,000, bringing the deficit down to $386,649.
It is very likely there is at least this amount of discretionary spending in the huge school budget; $386,649 out of $16,659,933 is 2.3%, about the same as the annual property tax and assessment increases.
Many of our residents have had to cut more than 2.3% out of their household budgets this year due to inflation, just to pay these higher taxes.
The value of having good schools and services is well understood, but some line items in the budget appear to be excessive. Perhaps charging fees for some of the school extras could be considered as many residents do not have school age children; that could be considered as a matter of fairness.
Sam Lowenstein
Bolton Road
