OPINION | Gazette was wrong about library funding request

By BEN NEVEUX | Biddeford

The Biddeford Gazette’s editor recently opined that Biddeford residents are being asked—again—to accept a familiar argument: rising taxes are unfortunate, but necessary, and worthy social programs like the McArthur Library should be shielded from scrutiny because they serve the public good.

(City should fully fund McArthur Library’s budget request; Biddeford Gazette, April 11, 2026)

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The Gazette’s framing misses the point.

No one is questioning the value of the library. It is — and has long been — a meaningful community asset since 1863.

But calling something a “gem” does not exempt it—or anything else—from the basic discipline required in times like these. When Biddeford families are tightening their belts, city government should be doing the same.

The real issue isn’t whether the library provides value. It’s whether the city can continue increasing the financial burden on residents year after year without first demonstrating fiscal control and accountability.

After multiple consecutive tax hikes—and with school and county increases still looming—residents are justified in asking: where does it stop?

Invoking cooperation and compromise sounds reasonable, but it often becomes a way to avoid hard decisions. Stewardship means prioritizing core obligations, scrutinizing every request, and recognizing that “good” programs still compete for limited resources.

A zero increase in the library’s budget may sound responsible in isolation but it isn’t.

The Gazette failed to mention that the library’s support request quadrupled in recent years before they asked for the zero increase on the million dollars they received last year.

It isn’t a zero increase when placed in the context of an overall budget that continues to grow well beyond what taxpayers can sustain.

A zero increase in the library’s budget
may sound responsible in isolation
but it isn’t.

Yes, taxes fund a civilized society. But unchecked spending—no matter how well-intentioned—undermines the very people that society depends upon.

Biddeford doesn’t need more rhetoric about shared sacrifice. It needs leadership willing to draw firm lines, demand accountability and protect taxpayers from becoming the city’s default solution to every budget challenge.

Ben A. Neveux, Biddeford

NOTE: Ben Neveux is a member of the Biddeford Gazette’s Community Advisory Council.

If you would like to share your thoughts on this subject — or on any other issue reported by the Biddeford Gazette — please go here to submit a letter to the editor.

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