...and all we got was a lousy tax increase.
What follows was also published in the Friday, February 22, 2008 edition of the Falmouth Enterprise as a letter on page 7 titled, "Numbers Revealing."
On page 10 of Tuesday's Enterprise, we are given several high school construction projects to compare with Falmouth's. The numbers are revealing.
Milton and Needham come closest to Falmouth in population, with about 26,000 and 28,000 respectively (2000 U.S. Census figures) as compared to Falmouth's 33,000. However, that is where the similarities end.
The median income in these two towns is about $79,000 – well above the median income in Falmouth, which is about $48,000. Moreover, Milton's new fieldhouse and playing field were donated by a local family. Obviously, these folks can afford cost overruns.
Quincy's median income is comparable to Falmouth's at $47,000. However, Quincy is the ninth largest city in Massachusetts, with about twice the population of Falmouth at 88,000 residents, and some 15,000 children in the schools. Again, not a very good comparison.
Salem is probably the best of the bunch. Aside from being a coastal community with a significant tourist trade, it's a population of 40,000 is pretty close, as is the median income, at $44,000.
That said; there is a significant difference between Salem and Falmouth. The Salem police recently opened an investigation into a school budget deficit that is blamed on the former business manager, who allegedly covered up mismanagement of school finances. The amount in question was $4.7 million, and the state bailed them out.
Contrast that with the situation here in Falmouth where we are being told to “move on” over $19 million and accept yet another tax increase.
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