Dear Editor,
Is the Select Board crazy?
The 1 percent local option sale tax component of the options tax contributes approximately $400,000 to $500,000 to the annual General Fund budget. Who do you think is going to make that up if it is rescinded? You and me in our property taxes. As it is, we have an increase this year, with the full options tax a part of the budget.
If the town is so flush, why were all of the departments asked to keep our budgets so lean this year? I can only assume the golf course debt is paid off. Is there is a magical source of money to cover this shortfall in the general fund budget that is not the taxpayers?
The resort management seems to be under a misconception about the purpose of the options tax though I have corrected them several times. Originally, it was voted in for economic development, but that was changed at a subsequent town meeting, when it was voted on to go into the General Fund to pay off the golf course debt, use some some money for economic development and go to paying other town expenses.
The other question I have is, why 2018? Is it possibly so that when building the village, no sales tax will have to be paid on all the materials needed? Whose interests is our Select Board looking after? I don’t think they are looking after mine.
Diane Scappaticci Rosenblum, Killington
