I have to agree with a Wildwood spout about lack of ratables and higher than average full-time salaries for fire and police. One only needs to look back 20-30 years and see how manageable the city's budget was back then. Ten years ago, the city was full tilt ahead with demolishing motels who paid $15,000 in property taxes and replaced by eight townhouses which collectively now pay $48,000 in property taxes on that same lot. How was that extra $33,000 spent? Multiply that by all the new ratables between 2001-08 and I ask "a small town still needs to raise taxes?" Irresponsible spending by those in charge!