Again I would like to let you know where the town is heading. First I would like to let you know about the council agenda of October 6th. Councilman Mullen had placed two items on the agenda for action. One was whether council should replace him on the finance committee and the other for the town manager’s contract. Why the town manager didn’t speak for himself I don’t know. If he didn’t want it on the agenda he could ask to have it withdrawn or at least ask Councilman Mullen to have it withdrawn. Being these items deserved to be heard, I made the motion to replace councilman Mullen and the town manager. Council acted on the first issue after Councilman Pressley seconded the motion for discussion only. Motion failed 5-2. Next was the town manager’s contract. After I made the motion I looked at the council members from my seat and thought they were “stoned.” Nobody was breathing and the motion died. I would have liked to see them vote even if they voted against the motion. So much for that.
    Next is the upcoming budget. Don’t be surprised when you see a tax increase again. The old shell game is coming into play with the adjusting of the tax rate and electric rate. The finance committee is looking up to 5 cents on a hundred on your assessment. That means someone with a $200,000 home will pay an extra $100. Is this the time with the economy the way it is and foreclosures at an all time high. I look at it this way. I would rather at this time see the electric rates stay where they are or lower. If a person has a problem they can get help with their utilities from Catholic Social Services, Smyrna/Clayton Ministerium or at the James Williams Center. They can also get help with their rent and heating costs, but try to get these services to pay your mortgage. Forget it. If you own something, you are not eligible.
    You can’t get the attention of the finance chairman or utility committee chairman as the views and agenda are his. You have a former handyman who has been feeding at the public trough and responsible for a town budget of $23.4 million. Then the town manager who is making approximately $95,000 plus benefits and a new car who doesn’t know what it feels like to be struggling on $25,000 a year. As the town manager stated in the Sun-Times, “Where does Councilman Raynor want to cut?” One thing would be all new hires that are proposed and not filling current open positions at least until the economy recovers. At the current rate of hiring, eventually the only thing we could afford is paying salaries without money for other things. That being the case the only alternative is a tax increase. Just what we need with rising food costs, high unemployment, high heating costs and inflation. To get citizens through these trying times I favor reduced spending and lower taxes.
    New Castle County is in a bind as well as many other towns and cities. Real estate transfer taxes are down, property values are sagging, and at the state level incomes taxes are down. The county plan to upgrade buildings and programs had to be curtailed. The plans for these projects made sense and were forward thinking but the people who have to pay the taxes also are suffering. Each dollar of increase comes out of the pockets of citizens. Many have lost their jobs and more are threatened with losing theirs. Taking more money away for people will hurt the economy more. With this in mind the best we can do is increase efficiency. Government has to start doing with less and saving more. Why put the burden on the taxpayer?