“Live Within Your Means”
We didn’t have much when I was growing up. As a matter of fact, we had less than that. I learned a valuable lesson because we had so little.
I was constantly after my parents to buy things all our neighbors seemed to have and we did not. My Mother would respond that they are living to a level they can afford, and so are we. She was the first one who quoted Calvin Coolidge to me “There is no dignity quite so impressive, and no independence quite so important, as living within your means.” Now I find myself listening to the arguments for a continually rising school budget in Scarborough. All our neighbors, now called cohorts, have more than we do, therefore, we need to have more. The arguments sound a lot like the ones I presented to my parents. I say to all who will listen ‘Let them live at a level they can afford. Let us live at a level we can afford. We do not have the liquid assets the people on our cohorts list have: Falmouth, Yarmouth, Cape Elizabeth, etc.’ We cannot afford to continually raise the taxes here to try to keep up with the neighbors.
The school board’s insatiable appetite for money must be stopped before we force more of our citizens to sell their homes and move out of town. For sure, those coming into town will pay the taxes. Perhaps they will be able to afford them for a few years before the taxes catch up to their income; then they too will sell. I urge the Town Council to reject the present school budget until it reaches a 2 or 3 percent increase. I urge every citizen who agrees with me to get in touch with the Town Council. I urge every citizen who agrees the school budget is too high to vote accordingly in June.
Michael B. Turek
ScarboroughTaxes.com 
I’ve been a resident of Scarborough since building a home here in 1986. My first tax bill was $2,097…it is now $4,689. Having retired 4 years ago, this property tax is becoming unaffordable!
ML
That is a 123.6% increase if you wanted to know! Over time, maybe not so bad, but over the past several years the increases have been extraordinarily high, with 8.46% the increase as of now for this year.
SMARTaxes
Mike’s comments are right on target. Our families grew up in the Great Depression which by the way was not that great! Everyone was poor, most of us were in the same pickle! How well I remember my folks trying to make ends meet, pay their bills, put food on the table, the necessary things to keep things on an even keel. While I was a child I most certainly can reflect back to those hard times. Present situation. We just cannot afford all of the programs or employees that the board says we need. That is false. Much of what is requested does not teach education, it is luxury in my view. We are on fixed income and Mike hit the nail on the head. Our income does not keep up with the requests of the school board, are they all well to do? In case someone is noticing this country is in a read bad condition, things are not as rosy as the papers want us to think. The federal government,s debt is 18 trillion, that is 12 zeroes and while the debt of Scarborough is not comparable to that we stand in danger of being swept aside when the ball drops. Get real folks, this is a good town to live in but this retired family is in danger of being unable to keep up with the wants of the school board. Let,s keep education what it is for, educating our children for real.
Thank you for sharing your viewpoint. My parents also grew up in the depression era, and their experiences were a valuable lesson passed on to my sister and I. “Money doesn’t grow on trees” my Mother used to say. Please share your feelings with our public officials and don’t forget to vote on June 9!
SMARTaxes