EDITORIAL

A plan for Saturday morning

Posted 5/19/16

The outdoors calls at this time of year, especially on a weekend. Mowing the lawn, which becomes a chore by early July, is actually to be relished.

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EDITORIAL

A plan for Saturday morning

Posted

The outdoors calls at this time of year, especially on a weekend.

Mowing the lawn, which becomes a chore by early July, is actually to be relished. And the garden, well, now is the time to plant those seedlings and dream of those warm tomatoes picked fresh from the vine and bunches of zinnias with their bold colors. Or maybe it’s the boatyard that beckons with the prospect of that final coat of bottom paint before the boat is splashed.

Naturally, there are many more outdoor activities, whether it’s competing in a 5K, just taking the dog for a walk, watching a youth athletics game, or maybe hitting a few tennis balls. All the prospects seem enticing as long as they are outdoors.

So, you may wonder why we would recommend attending the first of what promises to be two and possibly more city budget hearings this Saturday starting at 9 a.m. at Council Chambers in City Hall.

The opening session deals with the Warwick School Committee budget. Mayor Scott Avedisian has recommended at $161.1 million budget, an increase if $1.6 million from the current year. The increase represents higher levels of state and federal funding; the share funded by city taxpayers would be level-funded.

While level funding will tone down criticisms that schools are getting too much, turmoil resulting from the planned consolidation of secondary schools, including the layoff of 64 teachers, will surely surface. Lack of a teacher contract and how the school administration intends to cope with that also promises to be a topic.

That’s just schools. There’s much more in the $298.7-million budget package the mayor proposes. If recent council meetings and past budget sessions are an indication, virtually every line of the 84-page document will be scrutinized – and, in some cases, more thoroughly reviewed than need be.

There’s no saying how far the budget review process will get Saturday, but we know it will stop at 2 p.m. Budget review continues Monday at 5 p.m. and could lap over to Tuesday and Wednesday.

We know spring weather is enticing, even if it means walking back and forth over that patch of grass or getting out the hose and washing the pollen off the car. By comparison, a city budget hearing may seem to be a form of torture.

We think not.

You can wear jeans and flip-flops. Don’t expect to bring along a cup of coffee because beverages and food are not permitted in council chambers (council members are exempted). But you’ll be served up a glimpse of city government and an opportunity to ask your own questions.

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