Freeze Berlin property taxes on seniors

Every year that Republicans held a majority on the Berlin Town Council, they raised property taxes. In the private sector, during difficult economic times, pink slips are issued. In the public sector, layoffs are as common as mega millions lotto winnings in Berlin.

The school budget "cannot" be cut below that of the preceding year despite all the wailing and gnashing of the teeth by Democrats about the school budget being slashed each and every year. Under Connecticut General Statute Section 10-262j, the Minimum Budget Requirement prohibits a town from budgeting less for education than it did in the previous year unless the Town can demonstrate a significant decrease in enrollment or savings through increased efficiencies, the occurrence of which are as likely as an asteroid striking Berlin's Town Hall within the next ten minutes.

Consequently, our school budget is about half of our Town's total budget; and it is increasing every year. It now costs $17,500 per year to educate each child in Berlin. Soon it will be $20,000 per year per child.

However, despite these ever increasing tax mill rates for Berlin seniors living on paltry fixed incomes from a social security program no longer providing cost of living increases, the Berlin Town Council refuses to freeze property taxes on retired seniors. Two old ladies in my neighborhood lost their homes last year because they could not afford the property taxes. Some of us seniors never had children; nevertheless, we have been forced to pay these ever-increasing property taxes for as much as 50 years!

How about cutting Berlin seniors a break before we are put in our coffins? How about freezing our property taxes so we don't lose our homes. And if younger families with children want $800,000 astroturf replacements on football fields or $100 million school renovations or a new $25 million police station, they are free to assume the additional tax burden for these improvements without forcing seniors to live on cat food.