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To the editor
There has been much talk the past few weeks about the Inn’s plans for expansion. Opposing views have been expressed with passion and questions of ethical propriety have been raised. Unfortunately, some vital issues have been lost in the storm.
While I personally favor moderate growth of the Inn and strongly believe that it is in the best interest of the community as a whole, I am most concerned that these issues be addressed openly and in a manner that is suited to allowing everyone involved to make up their own mind.
The days are gone when a village like Washington can be managed adequately and efficiently on $12,000. Yes, at one time that seemed possible, but now the town is having to confront deferred maintenance and capital improvement projects which were postponed in the past, but no longer can be.
We now have a full-time town employee whose salary and necessary equipment must be funded. In simpler times a gracious local attorney volunteered his services to the Town Council, taking precious time away from his practice or his family.
Then came a mandate from the state for comprehensive plans, defensible zoning ordinances, planning commissions, appeals, and architectural review boards, and the like, all intended to protect the vital interests of the community. All these things involved legal counsel, making it impossible to expect these services on a volunteer basis.
Now, funded largely by a food and lodging tax, the town operates on a manageable budget that is many times that of ones from the
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