Berlin employees receive raises when tax sales were passed

Berlin homeowners behind in property taxes are facing the prospect of losing their homes.  Tax sales were recently approved by our Town Council, allowing the Town of Berlin to throw Berlin citizens out of their homes and into the street in a more efficient and expeditious manner.

Yet virtually all Town employees in Berlin have been proposed to receive raises in salaries this coming year, including school teachers and school administrators.  Don't these employees feel any sort of compassion and empathy, if not guilt, for taking these raises in the face of tax sales of homes owned by their fellow citizens?  Not only are some Berlinites facing tax sales, but many are underwater with their mortgages, behind in their tax and utility bills, while some have lost their jobs or are falling off unemployment.

Have you heard one Berlin employee call for no increase in salaries while these harsh economic conditions continue?  If I were an employee of Berlin, I would have offered to take a cut in salary to hold the line on property taxes this year given the continued suffering of many in our community.  But I was raised a Christian.

Where is the sense of conscience in our Town and School employees?  Does David Erwin, who earns over $200,000 per year, really need another raise?  Does Denise McNair, our Town Manager, truly need another raise?  Do other school administrators earning around $150,000 per year, yet need another raise when their neighbors may be forced out into the streets?

It appears that most, if not all, department heads in our Town have been proposed in this year's budget to receive raises this coming year.  If you feel that now is especially the wrong time, join the Berlin Property Owners Association.

Let's bring the Town of Berlin and its Board of Education back down to earth,  to the harsh economic realities that now exist for many of Berlin's citizens.

Please feel free to discuss your concerns on our blog:  just click on the link below and comment.  All are welcome to contribute their thoughts and suggestions.  Thank you.

Berlin Property Owners Association (BPOA)