BRATTLEBORO-As a lifelong Brattleboro resident and current Representative Town Meeting (RTM) member, homeowner, and downtown building owner, and as a former chairman of the Selectboard, I feel compelled to address the town regarding the budget challenges it now faces.
My takeaway on Town Meeting was that the representatives stressed downtown safety and financial control. Last year's board made many good-faith initiatives to improve safety but lost control of the financial end by tapping town reserve funds and hiring many new employees.
The results of their efforts were a safer downtown and an anticipated tax increase which was unpalatable to RTM.
Now the board is faced with creating a new budget with two possible courses of action: funding current actions with incremental additional cuts, or taking a more meaningful route, which is a reduction in staff.
No one wants to talk about it, but salaries and benefits make up over 70% of the budget, so reducing staff is the only logical way to make any real progress in cutting spending.
In four short years, the number of employees has grown from 125 to 149 at about $100,000 per person per year including benefits, which is over $2 million annually.
My plan would be to cut an employee in each of the largest departments, post a hiring freeze (except for the finance director's position), anticipate upcoming retirements, and let the numbers drop by attrition.
This non-draconian approach could save over $1 million yearly and cut the tax increase in half, which should fly with RTM.
My personal belief is that the town has an impressive staff of professional department heads and that they need to get together with the town manager and make management decisions and recommendations to the Selectboard which balance the needs of the town and show allegiance to the citizens of Brattleboro, who ultimately pay the bills.
Hugh W. Barber
Brattleboro
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