The Town of Chatham is now working on its budget for fiscal 2010 which begins July 1. The first presentation of the draft budget will be made by the Town Manager to the Board of Selectmen this coming Tuesday, January 20, at 4 p.m. at Town Hall, 439 Main Street. It is an open meeting and anyone can attend. There's likely to draw a good crowd, so get there early if you want a seat.

Various discussiolns have been going on in several quarters for some time on how the town will deal with the financial crisis affecting all governments across the country. Spending trends have been analyzed and the situations faced by other cities and towns looked into. The Governor has warned that local aid from the state to cities and towns will be reduced because the state itself will have difficulties making ends meet. Cape Cod towns are projecting deficits of varying size ranging up to several million. Preliminary information for Chatham points to a $1.6 million gap, about $600,000 in the School Department and the rest in the other town departments.

The big question for every city and town is how to deal with the shortfalls. The first answer has to be to reduce spending to live within available revenues.

Cutting spending is very hard to do and there is not much enthusiasm for it. Indeed, there are constituencies for every program and they will be clamoring against any cuts in their programs.

One conservative voice, the Chatham Republican Town Committee, concluded it should let town officials know they would support them in making the hard choices necessary to achieve a balanced budget (taking into account the possibility of worsening conditions) without new taxes or fees or increases in taxes or fees or special votes at town meeting to raise more tax revenue.

They adopted the following resolution and copies sent to the Town Manager and members of the Board of Selectmen, the School Committee and the Finance Committee.

RESOLUTION

January 12, 2009

Whereas,

There is an extraordinary financial crisis affecting the world, the nation, the Commonwealth and our own community of Chatham and its taxpayers and residents,

Financial difficulties are being experienced by residents, such as those living on fixed incomes; working families who are having difficulty meeting expenses, including their housing costs; those in retirement whose life savings have been decimated by the collapse of securities markets and housing values; and those facing or fearing the loss of employment;

Financial difficulties are being experienced by town businesses suffering sharp declines in revenues;

As a result, those experiencing such financial difficulties are of necessity restraining spending to enable them to live or operate within the revenues and resources now available to them;

As taxpayers and conservatives committed to fiscal restraint, we believe the Town of Chatham should itself do what is necessary to control, curtail, freeze and reduce spending as necessary to keep spending for the fiscal year beginning July 1 within available revenues, taking into account possible reductions in revenues such as local aid from the Commonwealth, without inflicting additional financial burdens on residents and taxpayers.

Be it resolved:

To communicate to the Town Manager and members of the Board of Selectmen, the School Committee and the Finance Committee of the Town of Chatham that as conservatives and taxpayers we support all efforts (freezes and reductions in spending included) to achieve the goal of a balanced budget for the upcoming fiscal year for the town, including the School Department, within anticipated revenues with no increase in financial burdens to taxpayers;

To express our appreciation for the efforts that are already being undertaken to accomplish the goal of a balanced budget for the town, including the School Department;

To urge that all town officials work together in a cooperative manner to eliminate projected deficits in all departments, including the School Department, considering all available means such as negotiations with unions, compensation freezes, reallocation of departmental revenues, work holidays and elimination, reduction or deferral of optional programs, projects and services; and

To urge all taxpayers, including non-resident taxpayers, of Chatham who agree with these views to similarly communicate to town officials their wish that the town, its boards, committees and other officials do all that is necessary to present a realistic balanced budget to the Annual Town Meeting without imposing additional financial burdens on residents and taxpayers.

We think the resolution makes sense: It's time to hold the line on spending and property taxes. As stated, it will be tough. Chatham has been blessed in recent years with growth in the tax base that made increasing annual expenditures possible. Now we must cope with different times.