The wise and persistent voters of Rumford dodged a 2- to 3-mil tax increase by repeatedly voting down town budget articles and approving only four of 23 initiated articles submitted by organizations Rumford voters have historically supported.
It was painful, but necessary, as the voters paid attention to warnings from the paper mill and state, insisting on the adoption of austerity measures when the selectmen refused to.
That listening compensated for the $46.6 million reduction in the mill’s valuation that came to fruition just two weeks after the town finalized the budget and five months into the 2014-15 fiscal year.
Within days of the valuation drop determination, the mill announced the mid-February shutdown of paper machine #12 “indefinitely.” It would not at all be surprising to find that “indefinitely” turns into “permanently” with #12 made inoperable or completely removed from the plant before next year’s valuation date, producing the third sudden and severe valuation reduction and lost tax revenue to Rumford in four years.
If a potentially catastrophic property tax rate increase is to be averted in the 2014-15 fiscal year, the town’s leadership must step up to the plate as soon as the Dec. 5 selectmen’s meeting to begin the process of reviewing and changing policies, practices, staffing and level of service of all departments and offices, with an eye to cutting $1.2 million in 2014-15, as well as saving as much as possible from the 2013-14 budgets, including immediately instituting a hiring freeze.
Rumford’s survival depends on it.
Candice Casey, Rumford
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