Portsmouth Budget Hearing tonight

By John McDaid | Wednesday, 11 June 2008

Anyone who wants to be heard on the Portsmouth 2008-09 budget should get to the Middle School on Jepson Lane tonight at 7pm. Please try to make it to show support for the school technology warrant — which has been under pressure — and the budget in general. The Town administration, Council, school admin, and School Committee did a great job of bringing this in under the S3050 cap, but there will undoubtedly be people there ready to express opposition. At least one of them on the Council...

Please try to make it and say a few words. Thanks for everything you do.

Tags: 
Localblogging, 02871

Comments

Portsmouth Citizen

Wed, 06/11/2008 - 2:26pm

I'll echo the blog owner's sentiment. This is a HEARING, folks, and the town council and school committee will only HEAR whoever SPEAKS.

We all know that the usual suspects will speak. The odds are pretty good that Larry Fitzmorris will speak to try to argue to cut the school budget, as he did a few weeks ago. In fact, I'd say the odds of Fitzmorris sitting this one out are about as good as McCain winning blue-state Rhode Island next Fall.

So if you want Fitzmorris to speak for you, then stay home. Otherwise, go to the Middle School at 7 and speak for yourself. If you see me in the audience, those of you who know who I am (and you know who your are) smile and wave!

Viking

Wed, 06/11/2008 - 2:37pm

A prediction: Larry will bemoan the state of the fund balance and raise concerns about how this effects our bond rating. He will neglect to say that we would not have had to dip into the fund balance if the PCC had not imposed the surprise $670,000 cut to the town budget at the tent meeting. A judge, you may recall, essentially nixed the tent-meeting cut to the schools, but this had no effect on the town-side of the budget. He will neglect to say that we would not have had to dip into the fund balance if the tent meeting and its attendant costs had never occurred. And, perhaps most importantly, he will offer absolutely NO suggestions as to what might be cut so that money could be allocated to the fund balance.

It doesn't take a crystal ball to see this coming.