Town of Olive: Nine Percent Tax Increase When There's an Eight Percent Surplus?

Berndt Leifeld and the rubber-stamp Olive Town Board refused to publish the Town's budget variances when I proposed that they do so at a recent Town Meeting. One of the Democrats suggested that I get out of town instead. However, after two trips to the Town of Olive office on Watson Hollow Road in West Shokan the Democrats-in-power did provide me with a list of budget variances as of 9-30-09, which I copied into the Google Docs file below. You will notice that there are many variances in the year-to-date budget, including a large positive variance with respect to health insurance.

Nine months into the year, the Town is under budget. The total budgeted spending for the year is as follows.

Olive Highway Budget, 2009: $1,715,202
Olive General Fund Budget, 2009: $2,178,065
Total: $3,893,267

Three fourths or nine months of these budgeted amounts are:

Olive Highway Budget 9-30-09: 3/4 x $1,715,202 = $1,286,402
Olive General Fund Budget 9-30-09: 3/4 x $2,178,065 = $1,633,549
Total: 3,893,267 x 3/4 = $2,919,950

But actual spending as of 9-30-09 is as follows:

Olive Highway Actual Spending 9-30-09: = 1,183,727
Olive General Fund Actual Spending 9-30-09: = 1,485,312
Total = 2,669,039

Note that 2,669,039 / 2,919,950 = 91.4%. That is, the Town is under budget by 8.6%.

Now why, during a supposed "depression" that President Barack Obama and the Democrats used to justify a $4 trillion subsidy to the wealthiest Americans, hedge fund managers, investment bankers, money center commercial banks, George Soros and the like, is it necessary to raise taxes when the Town is under budget?

(Note: You can scroll down or across using the bar at the bottom of the Google Docs chart.)