Editor,
Rents, property taxes, groceries, gasoline, health care, energy and utilities, medical and dental care and so on are all on an inflationary tear. We all are experiencing this. My family is on a fixed income as many in Ridgefield are. Many families are struggling to just get by, day to day. Many families live in rentals, and it’s a near national scandal how much rents have gone up in the last few years. It’s common knowledge that landlords are quick to raise rents when taxes go up.
Now, in the face of these unprecedented increases in the cost of living, Ridgefield is floating not one, but two school bonds. The cost of these bonds together is $190 million dollars. These bonds are paid for by the taxpayer for several decades and stack on top of previous school bonds and levies. I have recently received my property tax bill, and it is astonishingly high. The Ridgefield School Board asking for $190 million in the face of this unprecedented inflation I find to be totally “tone deaf.” We all care about educating our children. If these bonds fail, however, the kids will continue to be educated in Ridgefield. But before school bonds, I have to provide for my family first. Delaying these bond requests until our economy has a chance to stabilize and our government gets its act together seems the sensible thing to do.
James Sheppard
Ridgefield
