Finding A Better Way To Make A Budget

This year’s struggle to pass a municipal budget should give Newtown’s Charter Revision Commission something to think about. The current system works well when the budget wins voter approval on the first or second referendum vote because some standard assumptions can be made about the meaning of the vote: budget approval means the financial package reflects the priorities of the majority of voters; rejection means the proposed tax rate is too high and voters want town and school officials to rein in spending.

After a couple of budget rejections, however, the process gets complicated and the assumptions are less automatic. As the cuts get deeper and more proposed programs or facilities are eliminated from the budget — each with its own set of passionate supporters — Yes votes are converted to No votes, creating for the subsequent budget proposals a mix of opponents: the persistent rein-in-spending crowd and an emerging don’t-you-dare-kill-this-program crowd. As more of the former are satisfied, more of the latter are incensed, and the budget process slips into a never-never land where any adjustment to the spending package is likely to fail.

The way out of a double bind like this is negotiation and compromise, but how do budgetmakers negotiate with a faceless and changing electorate? Some suggest putting advisory questions on the ballot to provide guidance about why a particular budget failed, but with the binary limitations of optically scanned ballots, the advice itself might lead to still more assumptions and chancy guesswork. This option is at least worth researching.

Another idea, which has begun to gain currency among those disappointed with the first two budget failures this year, is to have elected representatives approve or reject budgets. While we are loathe to move municipal budgeting even farther from those who ultimately pay the bill, the idea does provide an identifiable group for the council to negotiate with over the ultimate shape of the budget. Perhaps these elected representatives could be empowered to act on behalf of the taxpayers only after the referendum process has pushed the council to the point where some specific guidance would be helpful. Instead of going to a town meeting or a petitioned referendum for a third vote, as the charter now requires, the issue could be decided at a representative town meeting. With two-thirds of registered voters not voting in budget referendums, the town has a de facto representative voting system now — only the representatives are self-appointed rather than elected.

These are just ideas. With luck, even better ones may emerge with a little research and serious discussion. The town has already empanelled a Charter Revision Commission, and now it has a growing problem with budget failures. It makes sense that we should put the two together to see if there might be a better way to make a budget.