The show must go on

It was announced this week that the town of Hopkinton will not be
having their annual fireworks show this Fourth of July.
Under normal circumstances this is not such big news, certainly not
national or even state-wide news. However, in the area where I live
this news should be disappointing, discouraging and more than a little
bit depressing.

When my wife and I moved to Hopkinton four years ago the tax rate, or
amount of property taxes we paid on our home, was in line with the
taxes our friends who lived in Southern New Hampshire paid. Over these
last four years we have seen a steady increase every year and now we
pay about 35% more than we did four years ago. Our property taxes
now far exceed those paid by our friends. It seems with this amount of
tax increase the town can find the $4000 necessary for a fireworks
show someplace in the budget. I mean the town has somehow managed to
find, somewhere in the hundreds of thousands it collects, enough funding to put together a bid for an apple farm in order to preserve open space. It seems that it makes more
sense to pay for a fireworks show that can be enjoyed by hundreds of
families rather than to pay for an apple farm in order to preserve the open space
around the homes of fifteen families.

Most people from these parts will simply dismiss my opinions because I'm
not a "native". Apparently, I don't understand the New England way because if I
did I certainly wouldn't complain about preserving the open space
around these million dollar homes. If I were a "native," I would
understand that those families have always been here. These fifteen families helped
build the town and they deserve the financial support and respect from
the rest of the town in order to preserve the open space that they
have come to expect around their homes. If I was a "native" I would not think that these people can more than likely afford to preserve the open space around their homes with their own money instead of relying on town funds. As most readers of this blog are aware, I am not a native and I do not understand how the New England region can expect to stay vibrant and alive as it continues to make these kinds of one sided decisions. The New England region is slowing dying, young families are leaving for other areas at a faster rate than at anytime in history. When these young people leave they are not going to be coming back. They will discover that other areas of the country are welcoming to young people, welcoming to new ideas and decisions are made that benefit entire communities rather than just small segments.
Believe me, I understand the contradiction in the preceding paragraphs.
How can I complain about my taxes going up 35% while at the same time
complain that the town is not spending money on a fireworks show?
Shouldn't I be happy that the town is showing some fiscal restraint?
The short answer is no. The town of Hopkinton's saving $4000 in their budget
is probably like my saving $20 in my monthly budget: it is a
minuscule, insignificant amount in the overall scope of things. $4000
is about half of the taxes that I pay for the year so clearly this must not be
a money issue. There are least two food markets in town, two
gas stations, a couple of restaurants, and at least two banks. It
strikes me as questionable that the town could not get some
donations from these local businesses to sponsor the 2006 fireworks
show.

As I said at the beginning, this is a small issue in a small town in a
small state. It just seems that something this small that has the
ability to make people happy should be one of the last things
eliminated from the town budget, not one of the first. Granted, I am
not a town selectman or involved in the overall budgetary process for
Hopkinton. All I am is a homeowner, taxpayer and resident of Hopkinton
and I would like to see a fireworks show in my town just like I did
last year.