Welch: Strong Turnout at Budget Meeting is a Positive Sign

To the editor:

On Monday evening, April 13, 2015, there was a tremendous event at the North Kingstown High School when, at the joint meeting between the North Kingstown Town Council and the North Kingstown School Committee to have public comment on the proposed budget for both, over one hundred twenty concerned citizens showed up and participated in the meeting.

This has not happened for many years. Actually with the exception of the news media you would only normally find possibly 4 to 6 citizens with no one coming forward with questions for the committees. That was very disheartening. One could possibly think that the public is satisfied with the way the town is being run because of the poor showing or was it a lack of confidence in any reaction being made by either body to listen and make changes in how they spend our tax dollars and the direction the citizens want our town to go?

This meeting started at 6:00 PM with the Town Council and then at 7:40 PM it was the School Committees turn. The meeting ended around 10:15 PM with most folks staying till the end. A major concern for the folks was the proposed All Day K and the lack of an open presentation of the budget in an understandable format. The questions posed by the public and statements made where very good and to the point without emotion. This was very constructive and if the committee members actually listened very direct and informative.

I am impressed with what you said and how you said it now they need to react to your message. Congratulations to all that attended. Stay in the process as this is your town and for many the place where we would like our children and grand children to live. What happens now paves that way for their future.

Thanks to all for being there. For those who could not make this meeting the video is available on the North Kingstown School Department web-site. You can find the video of this meeting on the North Kingstown School Department web-site at the School Committee heading, look to the right at LINKS for meetings, under Past Meetings you can find the April 13, 2015 Joint Meeting video.

Richard Welch