We've already identified in previous articles (see the "related articles" at right or down below) extra padding and double-dipping in the town's proposed storm drain tax and that any ultimately-unneeded funds won't be returned to taxpayers.
The town's consulting engineer summarized the built-in contingencies (one of many "extras" in the proposed tax) as follows:
30%+ contingencies in the plan are "hefty" and will "go down as you get your budget correct."
- Schaaf & Wheeler Consulting
Video from town Q&A info session:
The contingencies actually range from 30%-40% depending on the item. Here are a a few examples straight from the master storm drain study:
(Source: pages 66-70 of this PDF)
Should the town "get the budgets correct" before collecting more tax money?
Should they make a commitment to return the excess taxes collected, since they know in advance the contingencies of 30%-40% won't be needed?