#036;111M may seem a bargain in 5 years
Published 12:00 am Friday, February 6, 2004
Without saying yea or nay about the $111.5 million school budget proposed by Superintendent Milton Liverman, we think that amount might be enough for this year, but five years from now, that could seem a bargain, particularly in light of recent events.
As you will recall, Senator Fred Quayle’s bill to delay residential developments for a time died in the committee on Tuesday. Had it passed there and then gone to further success, Suffolk could have gained time to establish schools to accommodate the students that new developments would inevitably bring.
But with the bill’s defeat this year, Suffolk will have to continue finding ways to create educational facilities to keep up with the ever-growing population.
How? Well, short of a windfall, don’t be surprised if property taxes will have to be raised in the next year or so in order to fund such genuinely needed projects.
It’s a shame that Suffolk City Council could not set a limit on the number of people living here regardless of how many houses can be built. That would be a sight – empty houses waiting for occupants until the population decreases enough to allow newcomers in.