The town fathers in Sylva have concluded it is not right for them to ask taxpayers to dip into their savings accounts and forego preventive maintenance in order for the town to avoid doing the same while expanding its budget.

The town won’t buy a new garbage truck it needs. It will get two new police cars, not three, meaning take-home cars for that department won’t happen anytime soon, a perk offered elsewhere in the region. There might be some unfilled potholes – street repaving projects, and improvements to storm drainage, will be postponed; buying more security cameras and Christmas light purchases are out, too.

Now, the town will do some fru-fru, like spending $5000 on Sylva’s 125th anniversary, but that is not as bad as, say, spending $10,000 on its 126th.