Fun at the FTM, by Justin Katz
Tiverton
10:22 AM, 05/14/11
Fun at the FTM, by Justin Katz
Tiverton
10:22 AM, 05/14/11
Fun at the FTM, by Justin Katz
Tiverton
10:22 AM, 05/14/11
An Endurance Contest in Futility, by Justin Katz
General Assembly
6:00 AM, 05/13/11
Commercial Property Tax Levies and the Non-Profit "Problem", by Carroll Andrew Morse
Taxation
8:26 PM, 05/12/11
Extra Revenue Has to Come from Somewhere, by Justin Katz
Taxation
1:45 PM, 05/12/11
Pension Realities*, by Marc Comtois
Pensions
12:00 PM, 05/12/11
A People Beaten Down, by Justin Katz
Rhode Island Politics
9:48 AM, 05/12/11
Little State, Big Problem, by Justin Katz
Pensions
6:04 AM, 05/12/11
General Treasurer: No Pension Reform This Session. (But Is It Wise to Postpone It To an Election Year?), by Monique Chartier
Pensions
11:01 PM, 05/11/11
May 14, 2011
Fun at the FTM
I really hope Tiverton's financial town meeting (FTM) practice disappears with a proposed all-day referendum that townspeople will have the opportunity to approve in the fall. But in the meantime, we have to come out and fight the good fight.
The only striking aspect so far has been the mocking grumbles and sneering looks that I get every time I mention that folks like me have been financially struggling for months and years. So, for example, when the point was made that using a portion of last year's budget surplus (in the midst of the Great Recession) to offset tax increases this year could affect the town's credit rating, I noted the importance of remembering folks, like me, who've been getting daily calls from debt collectors. The question: What about our credit rating?
I really don't care what they think of me, but the reaction of those sitting generally in "school supporter" areas was disconcerting. Even the high school principal appeared to join in. Why is it so sneer-worthy that people who are not doing as well as others in the town have concerns about losing hundreds of more dollars of their resources every year.