The voters of Reading will have the opportunity to ensure Reading continues to be a great town with sufficient funds to support essential town services such as police and fire departments and the schools. Reading has not had an override in 13 years. It is time. With the cost of services increasing at a rate higher than traditional tax increases allow, we now need to take this step to pass the override on October 18th. Our schools have had level service budget cuts for the past three years totaling close to 1.8 million dollars. If the override doesn’t pass, significant additional cuts will have to be made that will eliminate staff and teachers, reduce important services, and do lasting damage to our town. I have two children and one of the reasons we moved to Reading was for the great school system. I want them to have access to a quality education and I want them to grow up in a safe town that supports their police and fire departments. After learning more about the budgeting process and where Reading spends its money, it is clear to me that there hasn’t been significant waste going on and we truly need more money. I encourage everyone to educate themselves about the budget challenges we face and the many efforts that have been made to stretch our tax dollars as far as possible. With homeowners making up about 93% of the tax base, it does fall on us to vote to adequately fund our schools and other town services. Please vote YES on October 18th.
Caitlin Koehler
