It happens every time. Whenever there is a movement to cut the amount of taxes that citizens have to pay, or to stop a new tax from becoming a reality, city officials start reaching for the throat.

Lewiston’s city administrator immediately threatened cuts in the school budgets. Citizens with children in school will not want this, so they will not sign the petition about the “rain tax.” That is the theory.

Now, if the city officials hold true to form, they will start talking about layoffs in police and fire services.

These are nothing more than scare tactics, and the irony is that this is coming from Jim Bennett – the person who probably makes the most money annually in the entire city.

If the storm-water utility fee is so crucial to the viability of the city, why were we not told of this before? It seems to me that if the city has been teetering on the edge of financial ruin, the citizens should have been made aware of that.

It is time for the citizens of Lewiston to step forward, sign the petition, and not allow the city to make cuts in school, or public safety budgets. If there are cuts to be made, start at the top.

Angelo Giberti, Lewiston