Years ago when Readfield purchased the fairgrounds property on Church Road for recreational development, taxpayers concerned about embarking in long-term spending were promised that all improvements would be done by the private sector and would not use any taxpayer dollars. Until recently, that had been the case. Generous donors and volunteers including contractors have made it happen. Now our town government is asking taxpayers to spend roughly $400,000 for a softball field and other things despite the fact that the existing ballfield only gets used for three weeks of Little League and not much else.

The town government also wants to spend millions of dollars for new broadband internet service that will cost every taxpayer and create long-term debt. Sound familiar? It should. It’s the same sales pitch used to join First Park, a long-term investment that never reached its predicted goals, still costs us money annually and which we can’t withdraw from. Also, don’t forget the public works department failure.

All residents are feeling the effect of record breaking inflation including high gas prices and what is expected to be the most expensive heating oil costs ever this fall. A recession is even a possibility. Yet we tighten our belts, adjust our priorities, and make ends meet. There is absolutely no reason the town can’t do the same.

Please join my household in voting down Articles 10, 12, 13, 29 and any other non-essentials on the town warrant. This will force our town government to be as responsible with our tax dollars as we are forced to be with our own personal household budget dollars. Economic hard times are upon us indefinitely. Our town government should be helping us through it instead of unnecessarily making it worse.

David Hepfner

Readfield