To the editor:
This is my third letter to the editor concerning the million-dollar bond for Houlton’s roads. I am convinced that just maybe the taxpayers are not being told everything. I believe that the citizens should be informed as much as possible.
As a member of the Houlton Roads 2000 committee and as a past elected official, I know how things work. I have and always will be up front with the citizens; smoke and mirrors, I am not.
At the Jan. 26 council meeting, it was said by the chairman that three people voted not to fully fund the roads last year. He went on to say that two had gotten up to speak that evening. I believe I was one of those people that he was talking about.
Just to set the record straight, I did not vote against funding the roads as he said. I have a copy of that meeting record and so should the town office. I believe this is an attempt to take the heat off the council, and to mislead the citizens. This is not the only time I have had to correct this person. In some people’s minds, letting the citizens know what is going on hurts.
As my last two letters have stated, this million-dollar bond is just a bailout for this council, because they have the last say. I encourage this council to get out their budget books again, and this time take a long hard look, then just maybe they will see something they missed.
First of all, I believe part of the million-dollar bond will go to pay off our portion of the Bangor Road. This is not new news, we have known about this for some time. So why didn’t we budget for it? What this council is doing in respect to this bond is wrong. A million-dollar bond for 20 years, with a payback of about $1.5 million (that’s with about $500,000 in interest) makes no sense to me.
I have served the town of Houlton as a board of budget review member and as a councilor. I have done seven budgets, so ‘I have been there and done that’, this is just wrong to me. We as taxpayers should say enough is enough, stop spending our money like it grows on trees. Fund the roads yearly. The taxpayers of Houlton deserve the best and I know we can do better.
Carl Lord
Houlton
