The Council’s Budget Shell Game

To the Editor:

Two days ago, the citizens of Newtown rejected a proposed $102.2 million spending plan for the next fiscal year. Last night [April 25] I attended a Legislative Council meeting whose purpose was to make adjustments to the spending plan to be resubmitted to a second referendum. I address our council’s actions of  last night as a private citizen and taxpayer and not as a member of our school board.

The council’s conclusion was devoid of any semblance of fiscal responsibility and concern for prudence in the conduct of the public’s business. The council voted, not unanimously, to accept Ms Llodra’s motion to reduce the spending plan by $750,000 and included as part of its action a mechanism to shift the operating expense of the purchase of $342,000 of computer for the school system to long-term bonding. In other words, we will still spend the money but will only pay the debt service for many years for the computers rather than have the entire purchase price impact our mill rate. This is called mortgaging the future.

So, just about half of the reduction in spending they accepted was nothing more than a shifting of monies from an operating budget to a long-term bonding scheme — all for the purpose of reducing next year’s tax increase.

Council members Iaasogna, Dicandido, Amaral, and Chairman Rodgers, to their credit, saw through this sham and voted No. Mr Iaasogna was the first to point out the unacceptability of this dangerous road that was being traveled. Mr Dicandido spoke forcefully about needing to face up to the reductions needed in spending. But all of this was to no avail. What’s next? Bonding salaries? How about bonding textbooks? This could be really worthwhile for us now, but woe to our children and grandchildren.

The Boards of Selectmen, Education, and Finance have struggled mightily to prioritize, reduce and spread out our capital needs to live without our ten percent debt service to revenue ratio. Our Board of Finance chairman, Mr Kortze, after the vote clearly was of the opinion that this action was not well considered and he so stated this opinion in open forum. The council’s actions show us that instead of facing the hard reality of making actual reductions it is just so much nicer and easier to make it appear that we will reduce when instead we will just “shift.” We deserve better than this “shell game!” Is this the way we want our elected representatives to handle our affairs? Not in my opinion!

Taxpayers will see through this charade. This, by itself, will be cause for a second rejection.

Sincerely,

Paul J. Mangiafico

15 Kent Road, Newtown                                                  April 26, 2007