New Franklin could be about $2 million in debt this year. A city finance report notes the town’s politicians budgeted $11 million for this year. Problem is they only expect to take in $9.2 million.

New Franklin expects to take $1.2 million in city income tax this year. Even if voters allow town politicians to double the income tax to 2 percent, the extra $1.2 million may still leave the town short by about $600,000 for 2009, if expenses don’t fall.

New Franklin has less than a person per acre, like many rural areas. New Franklin has no grocery store, no good size factory, no sewers, and no city water.

Yet town government grows like Rosie O’Donnell. Town politicians will spend almost $750 per resident this year. This doesn’t count school tax piracy.

The finance report says the town will spend about $4 million this year on public safety (police, fire, EMTs). This is money well spent. We need these professionals, especially when lawyers  get criminals reduced sentences.

Much of the other $7 million is questionable. The town will spend about $3 million on street maintenance. This is much more than what it would cost to have Summit County provide these services. There’s about $3 million of "general fund" spending the grumpy old men of council do without their finance report saying where it goes.

The town will spend more than $1 million on admin items, says the report. This includes the gold-plated medical insurance package to the part-time councilmen ($112,000). It also includes $90,000 for part-time town solicitor (lawyer) Tom Musarra.

This doesn’t count $7 million of extra spending Mayor Bollas wants to drop on us from 2009 thru 2013. Nor does it count a much bigger mayor salary.

Council may have to deny residents some credit for income taxes they pay elsewhere, jump property taxes, and raise emergency services fees, so they can balance a budget they let grow like cancer. Despite their serial mismanagement, these politicians want voters to drink the purple Kool-Aid and let them double their looting of working peoples’ paychecks.

We’re not made of money. Teach town council to live within our means. Crush the income tax!

Kevin Sherlock
New Franklin