Faust: Thoughts on Dover’s pending budget approval

Our elected officials of Dover need to know that there is a breaking point for any community.”

William G. Faust Jr. is a resident of Dover.

Soon, the mayor and City Council will be approving the next budget for Dover.

I hope they hold the line and do not add items to the budget that would raise taxes, fees or utility costs in any way. I hope the mayor and council will remember the following:

• Most citizens do not get yearly cost-of-living raises. If they do get raises, they probably will not keep up with the cost of living.
• Many of our citizens are on fixed incomes or receive public assistance.
• Many citizens move to Delaware because they are fleeing from the higher taxes of New York, New Jersey or Pennsylvania. If taxes, fees and utilities keep increasing, many will look at other states for a cheaper cost of living.
• They need to prioritize budget items of necessity versus feel-good items. In an ideal world, we would get everything that we wanted.

Life is full of tradeoffs. If the mayor and council want to adjust the budget for a step program for city employees’ salaries, to retain and recruit the best and the brightest, it comes at a cost. Even bringing on one or more paid firefighters comes at a cost. This is where common sense needs to come in when a budget is considered and voted on.

With the uncertainty of receiving state or federal funds, I believe the budget should not be increased. If the mayor and council want certain items in the next budget, then there needs to be a tradeoff. If you add a high-price ticket item to the budget, they need to cut the funding from another budget line item to cover the need.

The citizens cannot be tapped for every item the city deems necessary to provide or for the services needed for Dover. The mayor and council were voted into office to be good stewards of the city’s funds.

The election may be over, but the citizens will be watching. I hope our elected officials do not get a false sense of being untouchable. A dog is good and friendly if treated right. However, if you beat the dog severely enough, it will turn on you and bite any individual. If the mayor and council do not do something to stem the ongoing need to add fees, raise taxes or increase utility costs, residents know the next election is not too far off.

Our elected officials of Dover need to know that there is a breaking point for any community. If things do not change for the better, the citizens may not be so understanding or forgiving when the next election cycle comes around.

I am a concerned citizen, and I know we need to do better for those who are struggling to keep their heads above water.

Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcomed at civiltalk@iniusa.org.