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Nothing better than attending public meetings

Editor of the Reformer:

This letter is in response to the Nov. 21 letter by Rebecca Johnson:

Johnson wrote a letter to the editor regarding a Bellows Falls Trustee meeting that addressed the Bellows Falls Police Department's budget that will, more than likely, exceed $1 million by the end of this fiscal year on June 30. I repeat, $1 million.

Johnson, in her letter, suggests that the people of Bellows Falls should watch the meeting on FACT-TV. My question to her is, "What good will it do to watch TV?" My recommendation to the folks in Bellows Falls is to start attending the meetings rather than sitting home watching them on television. How can you have any impact on what happens if you aren't at the meeting to ask relevant questions? How do the trustees know what you think about the issues at hand?

We, the voters, elected the trustees to run our village and that is what they are trying to do. They have the right to make decisions about our police and fire departments without placing them on a ballot, so if you want any input, start attending the meetings and speak your mind. There have been meetings I've attended that I was the only village resident in the audience and that makes me resent hearing people who never come to meetings complain about high taxes or what the trustees did or did not do. Rather than complain, why don't you come to the meetings and participate?

Now, back to the police department -- we, the taxpayers, need to ensure that the village operates within a reasonable budget and if that means cutting back on our police department or contracting it out, that's what we need to do. Sitting home watching FACT-TV won't make a difference in what the trustees ultimately decide.

Judy Lidie

Bellows Falls, Nov. 22