Great. Let’s put a little extra cash into our pockets by having a 1 percent tax cap on our property taxes. Where are the cuts going to come from? Fire departments? Police departments? What else?

Scenario 1: A person’s house is broken into; the home’s alarm system is triggered. Forty-five minutes later, the police officer arrives at the scene. Why did it take so long? Because the police officer is the only one patrolling the streets, and with all but two snowplows out of service, he had to stop to borrow a snow machine because the street to the homeowner had not been plowed. The burglar had enough time to skip off. What happens to the homeowner?

Scenario 2: A child is playing with matches; he doesn’t know it’s dangerous since fire prevention and safety was cut from the city’s budget. Within seconds, the child’s room catches on fire. Neighbors see the flames and immediately call 911. Time quickly goes by, but where are the firetrucks? They’re at another fire across town. The 911 dispatcher calls for mutual aid from a neighboring town, but they’re at a call. What happens to this child?

Thanks for the wonderful savings, Ms. Palesky.

The choice is ours. Do we address our tax issue in moderation, or approve this and cut everything, leaving nothing to work with?

Roni-Sue Galipeau, Lisbon