I am strongly concerned that it would be a serious mistake to cut library or parks and recreation services from the town budget. It would be a false economy, rendering Brattleboro far less attractive to both existing and potential homeowners, at a time when we do not want to see our grand list shrinking.
Police and fire facilities and well-maintained roads are crucial town services. A library, a parks and recreation department, good public education, and other quality-of-life expenditures are also crucial and go a long way to attracting good citizens and sustaining community strength. A strong community will weather hard economic times relatively intact.
I have spoken with friends, neighbors, and acquaintances about how they want the Selectboard to act in response to the voting down of the budget.
What I am hearing most, and what I myself think, is that the Selectboard should take care not to overreact to this vote, and to realize that the voters' concern is overwhelmingly to hold up spending on the Police-Fire Facilities Upgrade Project.