As a former councilor who raised concerns about city spending while on council, the city budget — as presented at the April 29 budget meeting — is ridiculous. 

Tax increment financing (TIF) money is money that is kept out of general revenue and put into its own account, with restrictions on how it can be used.

To use that money to fund multiple positions and line-item budget items is not a budget cut. It’s taxpayer money, with a different name, via a different account. Balancing a budget using TIF funds is denying us relief from one-time funding projects that ought to be funded with that money. (If we’re going to be using those TIF funds on something, I’d rather see the Concourse and parking addressed before the city funds paper-pushing positions.)

Don’t gaslight the taxpayers by marking things out in red from the general revenue fund while greenlining additional TIF funds and telling us we’re saving money. We’re smarter than that.

You can’t “cut” $800,000 and transfer in TIF funds to pay for additional things. That’s spending $800,000. If the council had really cut $800,000 from the budget, we would be seeing a tax cut. Instead, we’re likely seeing a double-digit tax increase. 

I hope taxpayers are as outraged as I am.

Rien Finch
Waterville