To all Johnston taxpayers

To the Editor:

Is everyone in Johnston ready for their taxes to go up? According to the March 13, 2017 Johnston Town Council Meeting Agenda, Parmelee Poirier & Associates, LLC were to discuss the audit results of 2016. They did not show up. William Connolly of Segal Consulting did show up and reported on the terrible financial condition of the Police and Firefighter Pension System.

According to Mr. Connolly in thee years the pension funds will be exhausted, because we are paying out more than what is coming in. Mayor Polisena is the man that controls how our tax dollars are spent. He keeps telling us he is saving us money by cutting back on staff, but that is not the way Mr. Connolly made it sound. Councilman Civetti who in the past did the audit for the Town had many questions about deficits, as he looked over the paperwork he had in front of him at this meeting.

Residents and business owners let’s pay attention to what is going on in Johnston and how your tax dollars are being spent and come to the April 10 Town Council meeting where Parmelee Pririer & Associates, LLC have again been requested to show up to discuss the audit results.

Last summer many unhappy residents overloaded the Municipal Court during Town Council meetings with the desire to speak out about what was going on in Johnston. The administration ignored the request to move meetings to a larger venue to avoid fire and health hazard caused by the overload. Instead Resolution 2016-27 was passed amending Town Council Rules for the 2015-2017 terms. This is basically taking the people’s right to speak out away. Due to this amendment it seems everyone has given up addressing the Town Council or going to meetings because they feel it is a waste of time. Lately I have been the only one still attending meetings just to see what is going on, and I can tell you it is terrible what I see some of our elected officials doing and it appears they get away with it because no one openly objects.

To all Johnston tax payers please don’t believe what you are told, by me or anyone else. Come to the town meetings even though you may not be able to ask questions or talk you can see for yourself some of what is going on. You may be a big supporter of the administration, thinking you are doing all the right things, and that the officials like you, but that can change overnight. l have seen it happen to a long list of people who are now suffering an injustice.

Jean Lynch

Johnston