As a member of Fayette’s budget committee, I want to alert the town’s taxpayers that we are headed for a big wake-up call with our tax rate.

With just the school budget, we are looking at a possible 23 percent increase, which has nothing to do with us getting out of the Winthrop school system. Last year, the school took $165,000 out of its reserve account, and this year that puts us in a spot where we have to raise the mil rate by one just to stay even. One mil is $100 for each $100,000 worth of property.

Then if we add the municipal side, we could see another point or two increase, raising our mil rate a total of three or four points once we look at the increased spending planned by the school.

For every $165,000 that we add to our spending habit, we have to raise the mil rate by one. Just a few of the questions we need to think about: Should we continue funding the grange hall, invest in a study to build a new town office and, oh yes, don’t forget our roads?

The budget committee has worked hard to study our spending, and I plead with townspeople to be a part of our town meeting in June so that people can still afford living in Fayette.

Brent St. ClairFayette