Don’t get hung up on making a few dollars

One man’s trash is another man’s treasure, so they say, except it might also be said that trash should not be designated as trash if it’s paid for with taxpayers’ money.

In that instance, one needs to be aware that throwing out old government property comes with certain political risks, especially if seen doing it. That’s the situation the Berlin mayor and Town Council are in, along with their staff, as they prepare to renovate Town Hall.

Undoubtedly, the place is full of items — furniture, accessories, equipment — that most people would leave out at the curb for bulk pickup if it no longer suited their purposes. But were a town official to do that cries of wastefulness would surely follow because those discards were paid for with “taxpayers’ hard-earned money.”

Accepting that all taxpayers’ money is “hard-earned,” it remains that not everything purchased with that revenue is worth saving.

Town taxpayers should accept that just because it’s government doesn’t mean it must make do with furnishings and fixtures are that are way past their prime and are essentially worthless on the second-hand market.

The mayor and council members are probably aware that the items they will be offering at their April 4 yard sale will be scrutinized by lookers and prospective buyers on the alert for signs of government waste.

That means they will be careful not to appear careless or self-indulgent as they price objects to sell so they won’t end up turning some portion of their newly overhauled building into the office equivalent of the kitchen drawer — full of stuff that may be useful someday, but not right now.

The opportunity to free Town Hall of the semi-functional clutter and fatigued furnishings at the end of their useful lives should not be impeded by a desire to make a few bucks.

If it’s no longer in decent shape, useful and truly needed, now is the time to just let it go.