The Budget Vote

Sometimes it seems like there is nothing small about government anymore. The federal budget exists somewhere out there on the far side of comprehension. (How does one even think about $4 trillion?) And officials in Hartford reprise their old lament each year that tens of billions of dollars just don’t go as far as they used to. So it happens, boggled as we are by the expense of what our governments do, that we turn each spring to look at the finances of our own town. While $107 million isn’t exactly pocket change, it is at least a number we can comprehend. And thanks to the efforts of Newtown’s finance department, working in conjunction with the selectmen, Board of Finance, and Legislative Council, we can comprehend it in great detail.

Newtown’s budget referendum on April 24 — from 6 am to 8 pm at the Newtown Middle School — will reveal what taxpayers think about that number and those details with all the nuance and subtlety of a coin toss. (An attempt to modify the town charter last year to bring some sense of voter intent to referendum budget questions failed because the charter vote itself failed to attract the minimum required number of voters to the polls.) Whether the budget swings toward success or failure next week will hinge on just how disenchanted taxpayers feel over the inexorable growth of local spending, especially in our schools, where spending is up and enrollment is down.

As we try to assess our level of “enchantment” with a growing local government prior to next week’s vote, it might be useful for us to remember that more than any other level of government, local government serves us directly. Much of the value of that service comes from volunteers — and not just the emergency volunteers who respond to our urgent calls for help. Scores of men and women drive the machinery of local government in their service on volunteer boards and commissions. Not only are they unpaid, they pay the municipal and school bills right along with the rest of us — they are owner-operators of an unheralded sort. Factoring in the human capital contributed in this way to our town, local government is one of the best bargains around.

There is more work to be done on how we manage our finances. For starters, Newtown needs to move ahead with the consolidation of school and town financial management services, as recommended in a consultant’s report, to bring the level of detailed reporting and analysis found in town-side financial reports to the school district’s reporting as well. A better understanding of our finances — not just for insiders, but for every taxpayer with a desire to know — should lead to better management of our finances.

The $107 million budget that goes before voters on Tuesday will increase taxes by 2.34 percent. It will enable our school district to initiate a full-day kindergarten program favored by educators and parents alike. It will also return $400,000 to the town’s fund balance, bringing the fund to an eight percent benchmark a full year ahead of schedule in Newtown’s quest to reach the ten percent standard recommended by bond rating agencies. That move will dramatically improve the town’s chances for tax savings in the future. All in all, the budget is a sound proposal that reflects the priorities of Newtown and prepares the way for an even more economical version of local government in the future. It deserves the town’s support.