Date: Fri 26-Apr-1996

By KAAREN VALENTA

Published: Aug 11, 1999 12:00 am

Publication: Bee

Author: KAAREN

Quick Words:

Health-District-hearing

Full Text:

The Public Skips Health District Hearing

B Y K AAREN V ALENTA

The board of the Newtown Health District held a public hearing on Monday night

on its proposed 1996-97 budget of $311,623, but no citizens showed up.

Mark A.R. Cooper, the district's health director, made a presentation anyway

for the three-member health board, its secretary and the press. He said the

budget shows an 8.4 percent spending increase over the current year, but net

operating costs are actually lower than they were before the health district

was formed two years ago.

Mr Cooper explained that costs appear to be higher because many expenses that

once were part of the general town budget, such as health benefits for

employees and use of town vehicles, have been pulled out and put into the

health district budget. A comparison of net costs shows that the proposed

budget is lower than 1991-92 while services have significantly increased, Mr

Cooper said.

The increases in next year's spending are necessary because of a negotiated

salary increase of three percent for health district employees, the creation

of a position of director of environmental health, and the need to restock

supplies of hepatitis B vaccine for police, fire, emergency service personnel

and employees at the town pools, he said. Part of the salary for the new

director's position will be offset by funds from the state's Clean Water Act.

Mr Cooper said the district has added new services such as a cholesterol

screening program which will provide free testing for total cholesterol and

HDL cholesterol at Town Hall South on May 8 and June 12. This program also

will be paid through a state grant.

While the per capita cost of health services within the district has increased

from $9.50 in 1994-95 to $9.77 in 1995-96 and $10.45 in 1996-97, this is also

primarily because of the cost shifting between the town and the health

district, Mr Cooper said, and therefore isn't an accurate comparison of costs.

By forming the health district, Newtown qualified under state law for more

state funding. Of the projected budget for next year, $218,535 will be paid by

local taxpayers, $35,862 from state funds, $44,038 from fees, and $13,187 from

funds carried over from the current budget. In the 1995-96 budget, $203,260

came from local funding, $35,693 from the state, $44,000 from fees, and $5,000

in carryover.

No date has been set yet for the vote by the board on the budget.

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Well that is some spin. The Democrats have a super majority on the LC and passed the Education Budget without serious consideration of if the voters could afford the multi million dollar increase. "Was the request justified?" rather than "is this needed?" and "can the voters shoulder yet another large increase?" The voters rightly sent it back. Then for some reason all the discussion around reductions to the increase seemed to be coming from the classroom, rather than administration and overhead costs. Is this a coercive tactic to manipulate parents into supporting the budget like tacit threat of cutting freshman sports was two years ago? Who believes the Democrats did not caucus privately before the meeting and came in with a number already worked out? This is the Dems budget, they own it.

Education Cuts: Who Voted For What

I think it is important that we do not villainize every black box seen around a home, business, farm, or municipal property. A black exterior station does not always mean rat poison is being used. These stations can hold a number of different products, including monitoring blocks, snap traps, non-toxic bait, anti-tick bait stations, organic salt- or cornmeal-based control products, and newer fertility-control approaches intended to reduce rodent populations without traditional poisons. The better conversation, in my opinion, is not simply “black boxes are bad,” but rather: what is inside them, who is maintaining them, and whether the rodent issue is being managed responsibly. Exclusion, sanitation, trapping, habitat reduction, and careful monitoring should all be part of a responsible IPM strategy. To be fair, on my own property I do use rodenticides, including Bromethalin and Bromadiolone, in secured bait stations. But that is a choice I make for my property, based on my circumstances and the risk I am trying to manage. I also believe property owners should understand the tradeoffs and be encouraged to use the least harmful effective method whenever possible. I support protecting Newtown’s wildlife. I also support giving residents accurate information and not assuming that every black box represents reckless or unsafe pest control. The goal should be responsible rodent management, not fear of the box itself.

Discusses Policy Against Rodenticides

Debora, thank you! I accidentally doubled the project prices by adding the bond to the appropriation. Thank you so much for catching that and pointing it out. With the corrected numbers, the voters approved a combined $1.32 million for a salt shed ($600k) and library pavement ($720k), while rejecting the $1.12 million replacement turf. Regarding the 80s, I truly respect the hurdle of 14% mortgage rates. My point is simply that the math has shifted: in 1980, while the rates were higher, the price of a home relative to earnings was significantly lower. We are facing a different, but equally crushing, financial wall. Ultimately, it is disheartening that voters who recognized safe sidewalks and parking lots as essential, dismissed a playing field in the exact same condition. The turf has passed its life cycle and is just as much of a liability as the library’s pavement, the only difference is that this safety concern affects thousands of children who, coincidentally, cannot vote. These are apples-to-apples needs. I was hopeful our community would agree that all Newtown residents deserve safe conditions, regardless of which facility they utilize. Again, I would be remiss not to mention that when 82% of residents don’t show up, we have to deal with the interests of those who did. Hopefully, the next referendum will have a bigger turnout.

The ‘Me’ Generation

Thanks for the reply. I meant the numbers you presented in your letter. I found one place where other numbers were listed: https://www.newtownbee.com/04232026/get-out-and-vote-on-the-2026-27-proposed-municipal-and-school-budgets/?q=\\\%22advisory%20questions\\\%22. In that article, the numbers were cited as: Treadwell field: $1,125,000 Library: $720,000 Salt Storage: $600,000 As one who started out in the early 80's when inflation was double digits, my 1985 mortgage rate was 14%, and child care costs were comparable (in present value), I shared your grief but never considered the voters ironic or shameful. PS. I agree college tuition is ridiculous. Thankfully, universities are offering (or considering) waiving all or most tuition for middle class families (upwards of $200,000 incomes). Hopefully, they'll also reconsider their need for those funds in the first place.

Sure! Child care costs: https://www.ffyf.org/2022/10/13/data-child-care-prices-continue-to-rise-ahead-of-midterm-elections-outpacing-inflation/ (also from 2021-2025 we had 2 children in a local daycare in Newtown and it cost us $3200 a month, so that's a number I am very familiar with) Home price / median price vs income source: https://www.jchs.harvard.edu/home-price-income-ratios Tuition increase vs inflation: https://feed.georgetown.edu/access-affordability/noting-a-decline-in-middle-class-students-colleges-provide-more-aid/ Hope this helps :)

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Date: Fri 26-Apr-1996

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