At a recent meeting of Bedford Taxpayers Association (BTA), the Board of Directors discussed the upcoming town and school budget process.   Due to present economic conditions and state budget woes, the BTA board considered the impact of both future budgets and how they can be crafted to minimize the tax burden for Bedford citizens.

After lengthy discussion, BTA officers and directors voted unanimously to request that the Bedford Town Council adopt a budget that does not exceed the town’s projected revenue for the coming year. BTA recognizes that revenue will probably be lower than this past year, so some budget cuts may be necessary. But this is no different than what most taxpaying families in Bedford have been doing for the past several months or longer.

On the school side, BTA asks that the Bedford School Board budget will also match incoming revenue. This is reasonable since the high school is no longer adding grade levels or expending “one-time start up costs.” BTA realizes some cuts might need to be made, offsetting increases that must be met in existing contracts with personnel or businesses. BTA hopes future contracts will reflect sacrifices being made by Bedford citizens in a terrible economy.

Bedford Taxpayers Association celebrated its 20th anniversary this past May. Prior to 1989, Bedford taxes jumped nearly 53 percent in four years. BTA efforts held tax increases to less than 1 percent per year for the next 11 years through 2001. Since that time BTA has supported only fiscal conservatives for Town Council and School Board, with a goal of keeping spending reasonable and taxes as low as possible for Bedford citizens.

The BTA Board of Directors meets monthly, and welcomes guests and input from concerned citizens in the community.

BTA’s annual membership meeting and elections are in May. If you wish to attend a meeting or to become a BTA member, contact Roy Stewart at 472-3421 or Lynn Akins at 488-2121.