So Exactly When Is The Vote On The School And Fairfield Hills?

By Steve Bigham

In June of this year, taxpayers will attend a town meeting to decide the fate of two large expenditures to be bonded over 30 years totaling an estimated $43 million. One is for the construction of a 5/6 school ($22 million), the other, for the purchase of Fairfield Hills ($21 million).

In April, at the annual town budget referendum, taxpayers will be asked to approve the first annual installment of that $43 million – about $1.1 million for the first year. By approving the budget and the accompanying debt service, it is important that voters understand that they are not necessarily saying “yes” to these two projects, town officials stress. They are saying “yes” in anticipation of the projects being approved. That “yes” or “no” vote will take place in June.

“You have to have two separate votes because the town can’t approve a budget at town meeting and it can’t approve major projects at a referendum, unless it gets petitioned,” explained Finance Director Ben Spragg.

The town faced the same scenario back in 1996 when it first approved debt service for the proposed additions to Hawley School and Newtown High School at a budget referendum. Only afterwards did it actually approve the two projects at a town meeting.

Approval of the proposed 2001-2002 budget would, more than likely, set the tone for the town meeting in June. However, there are no guarantees. What if the funding for the first year of the project was approved and the purchase was not?

“If it’s not approved, then we just don’t spend the money. You have surplus in debt service,” explained First Selectman Herb Rosenthal.

Mr Spragg has suggested an amendment be made to the town charter so that both borrowing and spending for large projects can be done simultaneously.

“I think it’s confusing for the residents to know that these $43 million projects are in the budget. They approve it, only to come out again to approve it two months later. I think it would be best to change the charter to allow us to go out once and approve the budget and capital projects at the same time,” he said.

Mr Rosenthal agreed.

“It probably would create less confusion. You can get people thinking they’ve approved something when they haven’t actually approved the entire project,” he said. “They need to understand that that debt service won’t be spent unless the projects are approved.”