To the Editor:

I've continued to read with interest the ongoing saga of the financial condition of the town of Wareham. As a 42-year summer resident, I'm saddened to see the impact on our community from difficult budget cuts.

I do wholeheartedly believe however that simply raising additional taxes is not the answer. My guess is that many summer residents do not utilize many of the town services but pay a disproportionate amount of residential taxes.

We have the misfortune of not being able to vote on overrides as our primary residences are in other towns. We pay full property taxes and additional personal property taxes which are only owed by residents who do not consider Wareham their permanent address. We also pay a multitude of user fees which continue to go up in price.

I would be less opposed to additional taxes if I knew I was getting something in return. Beaches are now sporadically cleaned, trash receptacles have been removed from town beaches, roads are not swept, unpaved roads are not graded and may soon be unplowed. Residents of Onset are now subjected to parking meters and resident parking passes. Where does it end?

Here are a few suggestions for our elected officials to ponder.

• Deliver basic services to your summer constituents. We expect that our town be maintained for the enjoyment of all.
• Do more with less. Inquire about using youthful offenders from the Bristol House of Correction to pick up the seaweed and the trash. Maybe it will also serve as a further deterrent to other offenders.
• Clean the streets, maintain the roads and enhance our seaside charm. You need to make the case of "value add" to this subset of underrepresented taxpayers before you ask for more.

Imagine what the override vote would have looked like if this seasonal constituency voted. Let's preserve and maintain the beauty and charm of our community. It is our greatest asset.

Neil Sullivan