“Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark. Professionals built the Titanic.” – Anonymous.

Lane/Tommy: The budget season is upon us in Windham and Augusta. The difference is that Augusta must cut the present state budget while the Windham Town Council must set the budget for the next fiscal year. We already know that the Cumberland County commissioners are calling for a 6.5 percent increase in county taxes while the Windham School Department is asking for an increase of around $1.5 million.

We don’t know what the municipal budget in Windham will be but we are all noticing that the prices for everything are increasing. Can you afford higher prices along with an increase in taxes or do you believe you just boarded the Titanic?

Lane: Will Augusta have enough lifeboats to keep the state afloat? My opinion is that Maine’s deficit is going to be worse than projected. That expectation is based on the fact that the state budget is revenue based and when people spend less, tax revenues decline. It will be interesting to see how our governor and legislature will slash spending or will there be a tax increase at the state level? Maybe it’s possible that when the state of Maine dingy sinks we will finally find out how much gold is in Davy Jones’s locker.

Tommy: In Windham, we are anxiously awaiting the budget discussions to begin. Will it be as it always has been in past years and spring the budget on the councilors at the last minute so they won’t have time to dissect it? In recent times Windham has used part of its surplus to cover budget shortfalls. That might sound great but there comes a time when using the surplus hurts the town.

The town’s ability to borrow money hinges on its financial rating. Ideally, Windham should have a surplus of 8 to 12 percent. Right now it stands around 8 percent. That is dangerous because if we use even more from the surplus it will cost us more to borrow money for bonds if we can afford to at all. Windham might like to purchase a yacht and get stuck with a raft!

Lane: One has to wonder when politics comes into play with budget cuts. Even our town manager has stated that personnel costs are a large part of the town’s budget. The present fiscal year budget included hiring more personnel while cutting bulky waste. Couldn’t we have hired one less person and retained that service? We stated in a recent column that government employees receive salary increases on an annual basis which every taxpayer has to pay while suffering under inflation and an increasingly higher tax burden. The time has come to freeze the cost of living increases of government workers until their salaries and benefits become the norm instead of exceeding the salary of the average worker in Maine.

Tommy: Will we see another budget cycle where town and school leaders state they cut the budget when, in fact, all they really did was reduce the amount the budget was to increase? Beware of the spin masters when it comes to the budget.

Lane/Tommy: The budget process ought to get interesting in Windham. We can see the strife between the Windham town councilors, which we view as a clash between those councilors with a view for the future and those who refuse to evolve. It is clear as day that neither side is looking at the same picture. One side of the council is looking at the flag on top of the ship’s mast and holds dear that it has always been there. The other side has realized that it is useless to rearrange the deck chairs on the Titanic.