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Blue Stone Press, September 15, 2006

Setting the record straight

To The Editor:

"Dear Fellow Rochesterites" — Kathy Kuthy's letter to the editor — is just the latest attack against the Rochester Republican Club. It started with Councilman Gray's calling the Club a local hate group and continued with written attacks by members of the Rochester Democratic Committee. The time has come to set the record straight as to what the Rochester Republican Club is, what we do, and what we stand for.

Ms. Kuthy's observation that 10% of our community volunteer their time is indeed humbling and gives one a sense of community pride. I am even more proud and humbled when I read the Rochester Republican Club's roster of well over 300 members. I'm hard pressed to find a member that doesn't volunteer in ways benefiting our community. Their involvement ranges from fire and rescue to preserving the natural and historic environment; serving churches and synagogues, and serving on various school and town committees and commissions. These wonderful people volunteer because they care about their neighbors.

Concern for our community is another reason why they are members of the Rochester Republican Club. The RRC has been involved in many activities within our community ranging from helping our youth to assisting senior citizens. We promote wholesome family values with our Family Fun Days that bring smiles on the faces of aII who attend. We also joined with other groups to contribute to the upcoming Historic Accord Day. We're currently collecting materials in order to renovate our town park. We just wanted to do something to make our community better.

We have also reached out to the Rochester Democratic Committee in an effort to begin a dialogue so that we could work together on projects outside of the political arena. We have yet to receive a response in the affirmative or negative from them after nearly 2 months.

We come from all walks of life: white collar, blue collar, entrepreneur, homemaker, student, retiree... The ages of our membership run from 18 to 95. Some of our members' roots to our town stretch for many generations, while some have been our neighbors for a short while. The majority are enrolled Republicans; however we have Democrats, Conservatives, Independents, and non-enrolleds within our ranks.

We're joined together because we share certain philosophical principles. We believe that individual fulfillment can best be achieved unfettered by the constraints of big government; that the government that governs least governs best. We're proponents of lower taxes, economic development; protection of the individuals and their property rights, and preserving of family values.

I'm glad that Ms. Kuthy is disheartened when she reads personal attacks in local publications and websites. I sincerely hope that she has found a new state of enlightenment since she launched her personal attacks against Rochester Republican Club members in an October 2005 letter. We need all sides to stop attacking each other. We must all learn to respect each other's opinions and realize that we are all neighbors who love our town.

Ms. Kuthy's assertion that the Club challenges policies because of the sponsoring party shows her bias. It's an attempt to divert attention away from the issues at hand and devalue our input. The Rochester Republican Club champions policies that promote individual growth and fulfillment for the citizens of our community regardless of their political affliliation.

Wayne Kelder
Town of Rochester Superintendent of Highways

September 8, 2006

Accord Fire District 2007 Budget

Hi Everyone,

I attended the Accord Fire District 2007 Budget Public Hearing Wednesday and thought I would share my observations with you. There were approximately 25 people in attendance at the 7:30PM meeting. The meeting began with a short 10 minute overview of the proposed 2007 Budget. The board of fire commissioners seemed quite proud that they were lowering the budget by $155,000 to $673,143 from last years adopted budget of $826,270. They pointed out how they had struggled to hold the line on spending.

The board then opened the floor to the public for questions and comments. I stated to the board that as a private citizen, I was concerned if the firefighters had the proper equipment and training in order to safely protect the community while at the same time I was concerned as a taxpayer if our tax money was being spent wisely. I stated my concern that the operating budget was being increased over $163,000 or 54% and wanted to know why this was so far outside the realm of inflationary pressures. I pointed out that last years budget had a $496,000 Ladder truck purchase and that this year's budget did not have any similar purchase but did have $200,000 Capital Reserve Funding in it. It seemed to me that the budget should have decreased much more than $155,000. The board of fire commissioners did not answer my question and asked to for my next question. I then stated my concern over the $200,000 Capital Reserve Funding. I wanted to know what plan the board had in effect for replacing outdated trucks in the district over the next 4-5 years. I stated my concern over whether the funding is at the proper level so that there would be enough money to cover planned replacement of vehicles or if they are over funding the capital reserve fund. I inquired as to how many vehicles and at what estimated total cost over the next 4-5 years. I was told that their next truck was possibly going to be a mini pumper and that certain vehicles are replaced at various intervals. They did not have a figure on how much money over the time period I inquired about or how many vehicles were to be replaced. I stated my concern that future boards might be hindered by such a lack of foresight as this board has blamed its predecessors. There was no reply and the chairman asked to move to the next person. Some people in the crowd shouted out that my questions had not been answered. The board moved on to the next person anyway.

There were some interesting points brought out during the evening. One person suggested that more money be placed in the capital reserve fund instead of lowering the total budget so that there will be enough for future purchases of trucks without having to increase the budget. He stated that the average taxpayer will show a decrease in tax because the rate is lower and thus they should put more in capital reserve to prevent raising the budget in future years. The board said they would review placing more into the capital reserve fund.

The fire district received $161,822 in grant monies and has spent about $94,000 year to date. There was considerable discussion concerning the Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) that the district purchased with grant money. It seems that these devices which cost thousands of dollars not been circulated to the fire companies for use even though many of the firefighters have been Red Cross Certified for usage. The commissioners want all of the firefighters to be certified and then for them to agree to be medical first responders. This would basically begin to overlap to duties of the Rescue Squad. The firefighters do not want that responsibility. They just want to be able to use the AEDs if someone has a cardiac arrest at a fire or accident scene. It would be a shame if someone died from a heart attack while fighting a fire because a life saving device is sitting in a closet.

I have very serious reservations concerning the 2007 Proposed Budget. The administrative portion nearly doubled from $18600 to $36200. Some of the increase is attributed to increasing legal services 140% and doubling secretary so that one will be available from 10AM - 2PM. The equipment line is difficult to make sense of. They are budgeting $120,000 for 2007. They budgeted $48,000 for 2006 and have spent nearly $92,000 year to date. There seems to be no rhyme or reason between what is spent and what is budgeted. The proposed budget for utilities is also dramatically increased to $50,800 from $26,900. Many items in that budget are double or more than doubled. This is far greater than what has happened to utility costs in the last 12 - 16 months.

All in all I am not enamored of this budget. Operating expenses are raised without proper justification and capital reserve funding is being done without proper planning.

Carl Chipman
President, Rochester Republican Club