Paris budget sparks discussion

PARIS — Citizens raised concerns about the Paris budget during a meeting of the Board of Selectmen on Monday.

Kathy and Jack Richardson questioned proposals to purchase a $180,000 truck, and to seek a $1 million bond for road repairs.

Kathy said that the purchase of the truck is not in keeping with a board-led effort to maintain a flat budget.

"What is that doing in a flatline budget when everything else is being squashed left and right?" she asked.

Board Chair Ray Glover said that the purchase would not negatively impact the budget.

"That is being proposed to be funded out of the capital reserve account" said Glover, "not direct tax appropriation."

When pressed, Glover said that it appeared in the budget "because it's a piece of equipment that's needed."

Town Manager Phil Tarr said that the time to purchase a new truck had come.

"A highway truck and a plow system will last around 15 years, depending on your roads, depending on how hard you use them," he said. "We're replacing a truck that has 145,000 miles on."

Tarr said separately that purchasing the truck outright would cost less than spreading payments out over a period of time.

Kathy also urged more public discussion on a plan to take out a $1 million bond to repair Oxford Street and other town roads.

"The bond issue is full of concerns," she said. "Mortgaging our future, making our decisions based on one person's recommendations, lot of unknowns there."

Jack said that bonds, in general, required a cautious approach, and echoed a sentiment he had heard from Selectman Ted Kurtz.

"Financial planning based on 'buy now pay later,' as Mr. Kurtz has said so eloquently on numerous occasions, is a fools errand," he said, "and I think we have to be careful of that."

Jack suggested that the bond could be deferred.

"Is there consideration being given to doing minimum maintenance until we get to dry land again?" he asked.

For his part, Kurtz lauded changes to this year's budget process.

"We're making progress," he said. He cited examples of budget decisions last year that didn't come to light until late in the process. "At least now ... we're making progress because now that is out in the open, on the table, from the beginning of the budget process, so that's a very refreshing thing that's happened this year from last year."