Officials in the The Town of Chapel realize the town’s potential property tax rate increase of 11.5 cents in fiscal year 2005-2006 is a whopper not likely to go over well, even in a town dominated by the nanny state mentality. So, the town is hiring a consultant to try and figure out if anything in the budget can be cut or handled more efficiently. The council also is recruiting 5 to 7 residents to be part of a “Budget Review Advisory Committee” to work with the consultant. Interested residents have until Jan. 10 to apply. Says Mayor Kevin Foy in this Chapel Hill Herald story:

“The town is already pretty efficient, but maybe some outside eyes will look at it and alert us to some ways we could do things differently, or save money we haven’t thought of, or be more efficient in ways we haven’t considered,” the mayor said. “I’m hopeful, [but] I don’t think we’re going to find millions of dollars.”

Sounds to me as if Mayor Foy has already made up his mind.