Letter: Williamstown Youth Center
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To the Editor:
The Williamstown Youth Center has received money from the town of Williamstown every year since 2014. In 2014, they requested $70,000, and incrementally, their requests have increased to $77,000.
That financial support has become nearly automatic through the years. Are the town's taxes subsidizing those families who genuinely need financial assistance, or are the taxes sponsoring every family at the WYC? The WYC should become self-sustaining; otherwise, it will continually request funds from the taxpayers and other local organizations in perpetuity.
The Williamstown Community Chest provides an additional $55,000 a year to the WYC. In the future, that share of money could go to other needy organizations. The youth center needs to raise its fees and go back to having fundraisers to help offset its expenses. The national average for after-school care is $261 a week per child. According to the WYC website, it charges $900 for one child from Aug. 31 until the last day of school in June.
The youth center must do everything possible to alleviate this tax burden on town residents. Within weeks, the Williamstown Finance Committee will approve the request for another year of funding for the youth center that will become an article on the warrant for town meeting this year. If you are concerned about this ongoing issue, please contact the Williamstown Finance Committee at finance-committee@williamstownma.gov.
Pat Meyers
Williamstown, Mass.
