Auburn has not experienced any growth for years. School populations and home values are stagnant or dropping and high-paying jobs are not to be found. Yet, once again, the voters of Auburn will be presented with the yearly insult of an ever-increasing school budget delivered by school administrators who lack any ability to limit spending relative to city growth.
In actuality, there is no amount of money that the schools couldn’t spend. In fact, they must be dragged, kicking and screaming, to the altar to accept a 1.8 percent increase (if you don’t include the $1.02 million for the schools being presented by the City Council in a bond issue).
In what fantasy world would Auburn want to be joined with its neighbor Lewiston with a population of 36,000 that brings an average tax increase of $81 to every homeowner, based on a shameful turnout of just 538 voters?
Voters of Auburn must ask themselves if they can do better than that. If they don’t get out of their easy chairs then they cannot ask why city officials have added another $1,000 to the tax bills in another 10 years.
It is time for the people of Auburn to ask for more accountability and some fiscal responsibility.
Alan Whitman, Auburn
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