Proposed 2007 Budget

Summary of the Special Town Board Meeting of October 26, 2006
The town board passed the preliminary budget for 2007 in record time – less than fifteen minutes – and for a record amount - $1,806,208.  The vote was four yes and one abstention.  The budget was passed without any extended discussion because the town board has been holding meetings on Thursday mornings, when the rest of us are at work and could not attend.  So much for open government.
     The $1,806,208 is broken down as follows:
     General Fund               $  862,192
     Highway Fund               $  740,434
     Fire Contract               $  203,582
Within the General Fund, two accounts are particularly interesting: supervisor and attorney for the town board.
Supervisor Account
The town board approved $40,000 for the town supervisor to spend.  He will get
a bookkeeper          $12,000
a personal secretary     $10,000
a salary of      $14,000 representing a 12.7 percent increase.  (The principle operating here is “Less work, more pay.”)
equipment           $  1,000
and contractual     $  3,000
Attorney for the Town Board
The account was increased from $20,000 to $40,000.  The attorneys Van DeWater & Van DeWater wanted an increase to either $65,000 or an increase by $65,000. Mr. Talmage was uncertain as to which was the correct request, but the town board held the increase to 100 percent.  (These town board members can sure be tough when they have to.)  Mr. Williams was undoubtedly correct when he argued for the $70,000 figure, given the certainty of more lawsuits if the town board persists in passing all the laws it has on its agenda.  
This would appear to be a very tight budget, but not to worry; Mr. Talmage has not stayed within the general fund amount budgeted.  In the last two years, he has expended more than was in the budget.  Here are the numbers, and they are his numbers:


General Fund
2005          2006          2007     (preliminary)
Spent          $742,503     $829,287     ?
Budgeted     $697,444     $781,617     853,292
Overspent     $   45,059     $47,670      And this figure only covers 9 months of expenditures!
Mr. Talmage and his rubberstamps on the town board seem to believe that there is no relationship between what they tell the public they will spend and what they actually do spend.