Woodbury's 40%

Have you looked? Are you a 40%'er or a 60%'er? Which is better to be?

Why did Woodbury officials Bill Butterly, Martin Overton and Alex DeSorbo make claims the budget was something people of Woodbury should “be proud of” and “should support”; essentially claim the budget was good?

Before we look at the 40/60 we need to understand a couple things. Woodbury's recent Municipal budget contained a 2.4% increase in spending over last year and the total value of taxable property in Woodbury fell by a whopping 8.8% (this is where the 40/60 are derived from).

The 60%. From Rep-Am: “Under the proposal, 60 percent of residential properties will see some tax decrease, with half of the town's taxpayers paying at least $300 less in real estate taxes in the next fiscal year, DeSorbo said.”. …....This is touted as being good??? Your taxes are going down due to your loosing value in your property! Lower taxes due to increased efficiency and lower operating costs are a good thing. Not lose of property value reducing taxes....Sheesh! And Woodbury's top officials don't seem to understand this? The papers, the email blasts, Town officials and employees spending work hours pushing this budget and all under the guise that the 60% should be happy and should support it as their taxes would be lower.

And if you didn't support that budget? Rep-Am: “"I hope it's a lack of understanding," DeSorbo said.” and “First Selectman William J. Butterly Jr. has a similar take."I really think that people didn't understand it,"” ….....The people don't support it so it must be they don't understand it? Well, I give the people of Woodbury more credit than that but that's just me.

The 40%....the forgotten. Town officials didn't tout this group in the media did they? Are you in this group? If you are you need to understand two things. First, you as a 40%'er would have been paying for the increased spending, the 2.4% increase; the 60%'ers wouldn't have contributed any tax dollars to increased spending. Second, Woodbury's Grand List showed an 8.8% decrease. Unless there is a similar decrease in spending the 8.8% difference has to be made up by someone. That someone would be you.

As Woodbury officials wanted you to do, though clearly for different reasons, I urge everyone to look up their properties to see where they landed in this scheme. For anyone who touted this budget in the way that was done I really must question THEIR understanding of it; that or their motives as I simply didn't see the good in it myself.

Please look up your property to see the negative effects this budget had on you. Did you lose significant property value (many many properties by ~50%) or are you being saddled with the increased spending and lose of value of other properties in Town? None of it was good and you need to pay close attention to the next presented budget.

edit: I just received an email asking what the point of this article is being that this budget failed and is old news. The point is to hopefully educate Woodbury's taxpayers that otherwise aren't paying attention. This "60% tactic" was bizarre but shows how they'll spin things. Nobody.....nobody should have been happy with the components nor the results of this budget and nobody should have supported it.