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The Washington Town Council last week faced a familiar governmental quandary: where to cut the budget?
During the past few years, the town has seen its budget grow by almost ten-fold, fueled mainly by the proceeds of the 2M> percent meals and lodging tax. From the mid-1980s, when the budget was approximately $13,000, last year’s budget was more than $103,000.
That increased revenue has gone to fund a number of projects the town badly needs. Replacement of aging sidewalks, preliminary work on an overhaul of the town’s water system, the purchase of the former library and increased support of the Washington VFD were all worthy goals that required public money to accomplish.
Much of that work remains incomplete.
But the council is also faced with governments’ common problem — the public trough is not bottomless. Sooner or later, the taxpayers balk when asked to continue increasing their contribution. That happened last month when the council proposed raising the meals and lodging tax by another one-half percent.
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