It’s spring so once again the budget process is taking place all across Maine.

Town budgets depend more on who’s in charge rather than true needs of the people. The problem is that politicians are in charge of financial decisions that affect our lives so decisions are based on politics, not true needs and wants of the people. Put plainly, if one group can cast a giant shadow over the budget process, they can influence politicians to make a decision that favors them.

A perfect example is education where board members, school administrators and teachers will claim that your child will be an idiot for life because of reducing the number of teachers while never mentioning in most places the student population has decreased. It is more than high time to create a new method of financing the education of students where parents pay a more appropriate share per child rather than placing the burden on those who cannot afford to retain their houses because of rising taxes.

I have stated this in a previous column and it’s simple. Every child obtains a school voucher and that voucher follows the child, wherever the parents want that child to be educated. That’s true competition and it’s something that will increase the quality of education, but the largest enemy of school vouchers is public schools.

I wish I could say that things will improve on the municipal budget but Windham faces a reduction in services while facing a tax increase once again. I blame that on inefficient management of this town by the town manager and the town council. I have lived in towns vastly smaller than Windham’s population of 17,000 and yet those towns had more services available than Windham presently does.

What is even worse is that I can guarantee something even worse and that is the Windham Library be completely closed on Fridays if no one complains loud enough to keep it open. When I was in school, the town library was a place for me to explore the wonders of literature and the world because I could not do that at home. With our economy in the tubes, this is the one place where people can go not only to read books but to surf the worldwide web as well. I hope the library patrons come and scream at the councilors.

When I look at what services Windham lacks – like a transfer station, bulky waste, a permanent leaf and brush pile and a part-time government at town hall that is often closed three days a week because of holidays – I wonder where our tax dollars really go. I suggest that we begin the process of cutting salaries and benefits to go along with the cuts in services.

But what I do see is the $400,000 the town spent purchasing the property near the Smith Cemetery, the $450,000 purchase of property by the WEDC located on Anglers Road and the purchases of vans and a pick-up truck by the Windham Parks and Recreation Department. I then know where our manager’s and council’s priorities are.

There is a proposed piece of legislation in Augusta titled LD 1533, “An Act To Provide for a Method To Remove an Elected Municipal Official.” If it moves out of committee, I will write about it in an upcoming column.

Lane Hiltunen, of Windham, will soon announce a new radio show that will broadcast on two frequencies.