Editor,
Election time is November 6th. I am writing to remind everyone how the dismal state Saratoga’s financial affairs came to be.
The previous mayor had entered into a lawsuit with Randy Stevens that even the insurance company would no longer honor and left Saratoga financially vulnerable. Over a quarter million dollars was spent out of the reserves that I know of for sure. The current Mayor and Council are still paying on the remnants of this. The town is also financially responsible (court ordered) should that $70,000 wall ever fail causing damage.
The town’s portion of the flood of 2011 came to just under a quarter million dollars. That came out of the reserves.
While the dressing rooms at the hot pool and the “bridge to nowhere” are nice additions now, they further substantially drained the reserve accounts.
The current Mayor and Council have faced uphill financial battles they inherited. I do like their ideas of creating new sources of revenues such as the lake, airport landing fees, charging dump fees at the lagoons and other opportunities.
The “rainy day” accounts for enterprise funds have dwindled. Sewer and water repairs are needed desperately. The Recreation Department has become a luxury reducing the director’s hours to part time. In some instances, town employees are doing their own job plus a little more to keep from requiring replacement hiring. These have been hard decisions to make but had to be done, hopefully just for the interim.
When you go to the polls to vote for your local government officials, remember the past. There is a lot of clean up still to be done from the previous administration. You and your kids will have to live with that decision you make.
Respectfully,
Lynda Healey, Saratoga
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