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Suzanne Kapral Kelly: Maintain ‘holiday high’ by giving to our community’s nonprofits

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School of nursing students hold annual reunion

Tis the season to be jolly, but not for the taxpayers of Nanticoke. Property taxes are increasing 21.5 percent and sewer taxes are increasing 50 percent &#8211; to $150 from $100 &#8211; in 2016.This is on top of a 20 percent increase in property taxes in 2014 and the doubling of the earned income tax when our city was declared by the state to be financially distressed.The people who are jolly are the non-union people in City Hall, the city manager, the solicitor and the &#64257;re truck drivers who received a new contract with increases of 3 percent for years 2016, &#8216;17 and &#8216;18 with a wage reopener in the last two years of a five-year contract. Their average salary before the new contract was $50,000 a year, plus $30,000 in benefits.The budget for the &#64257;re department for 2016 is over $1.6 million. This is outrageous; the area of Nanticoke is 3.3 square miles. Our &#64257;re chief is paid $62,000 a year, plus $30,000 in benefits.Newport Township covers an area of 17 square miles and its &#64257;re department budget in 2015 is $168,000. Its &#64257;re chief receives $1,000 a year on retainer.Hanover Township, the population of which is now larger than Nanticoke&#8217;s, covers 19 square miles and budgets a little over $500,000 for its &#64257;re department. Their fire chief is part time and is paid $8,000 a year with no benefits. They have three full-time truck drivers with benefits and eight part-time drivers with no benefits.Nanticoke has 10 full-time drivers in 2015 and will be adding one more full-timer in 2016. Outrageous.The increases passed out by Mayor Richard &#8220;Santa Claus&#8221; Wiaterowski for 2016 are $1,500, $3,000, $4,500 and $5,000.Council members Bill Brown, Kevin Coughlin, Lesley Butczynski and Nicole Colatosti-Mackiewicz voted to approve the 2016 budget salary increases and the new &#64257;re department contract. They rubber-stamp anything the mayor puts before them. Their plans are to raise taxes again every year for the next three years.We need to vote out Mayor Wiaterowski and Councilmen Bill Brown and Kevin Coughlin in the 2017 primary election when their terms are up.We must save our taxpayers from financial disaster. God help us if these three are re-elected.Hank MarksPresidentNanticoke Area Taxpayers Forum

Letter to the Editor: Toss 3 of Nanticoke’s elected officials who seem bent on raising taxes