It’s fine to get a bargain and save money whenever you can, but there’s a lot of truth in two sayings: “Nothing in life is free,” and “You get what you pay for.” While most of us don’t have the money to buy top-of-the-line items, many of us try to buy the best quality we can afford because a better quality item lasts longer. Quality matters.
And quality matters in more than just the items we buy. Quality of life matters. Right now, our quality of life in Middlebury is seriously threatened by voters’ refusal to pass a Town budget. In June, 14 percent of the Town’s registered voters defeated the budget. Only 20 percent of the Town’s voters came to the polls.
As a Middlebury taxpayer, what do you value about the quality of life in Middlebury? What makes you feel your tax dollars are well spent? Is it the Greenway? Is it the Library and the many programs it offers to both adults and children? Is it the friendly and helpful staff at Town Hall and the Transfer Station? Is it the quickness with which a police officer or a firefighter shows up at your home when you call and need help? Is it the Middlebury Recreation Area or the Town parks? Is it the programs offered at the Senior Center? Is it something not mentioned here?
We value all of these things, and we are sadly watching them disappear, one by one, as voters defeat yet another budget. Over the past four years, we have watched as the Library closed its doors Wednesday nights and Saturdays. We’ve had to adjust when the Transfer Station went from being open six days a week to being open five days a week and then four days a week.
Over the past four years, we have had to call the Fire Department on two occasions, and both times they have arrived in short order, quickly assessed the situation and resolved the problem. We’ve also had to call the Police Department, and they, too, have arrived in record time. We don’t want to give up these great services.
We feel these fine services make our quality of life better. They also increase property values because a town that offers good services to its residents is considered a desirable place to live.
We believe honest men and women of integrity serve our Town and have worked hard to present us with a bare bones budget. They had no choice but to work with the Region 15 budget and the effects of past financial decisions, and we are convinced they have done the best they could under the circumstances. We will vote “Yes” on Tuesday, and we hope you will, too. Let’s preserve the quality of life we value in Middlebury!
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