Brief Hearing Yields Few Budget Concerns

By John Voket

Following the Legislative Council’s comparatively short and lackluster public hearing on the budget, which clocked in at slightly over a half-hour Wednesday evening, finance board member Harrison Waterbury wondered aloud about the minimal turnout.

“It’s really frustrating that so few people came out,” he said on his way out of the middle school. “Maybe they’re all watching it on TV.”

Mr Waterbury was referring to the fact that local school media club members have been dutifully on-hand during several recent hearings, taping the proceedings that are subsequently and frequently rebroadcast on the local public access cable channel.

But if it is excitement that local television viewers are looking for, they might do well to tune into a few reruns of The Dukes of Hazzard. Even the handful of residents who spoke at this week’s final public hearing leaned toward addressing broader concepts instead of focusing on specifics.

The meeting opened with School Superintendent Evan Pitkoff updating the council members on recent developments concerning proposed federal cuts in school grant programs. Nearly half of President Bush’s proposed budget cuts impact the country’s education systems.

The President hopes to save nearly $4.3 billion eliminating more than 40 programs altogether. Those projected savings would come in part, from a $1.2 billion cut in vocational education cuts, as well as another $300 million in reductions to school reform and tech-prep initiatives.

These substantial reductions nationwide would trickle down to the local level, impacting the current budget, possibly in excess of $30,000 Mr Pitkoff suggested. The superintendent then turned to the likely impact on next year’s budget.

“The unknown portion for us is there seems to be an agenda to redirect federal grant monies to the needier districts,” Dr Pitkoff said. “We can expect an approximate $26,000 deduction in the title grants, but the anticipation is the [IDEA] grants will be less than flat. But we’re not 100 percent sure at this point.”

Following the school superintendent’s comments, several residents made their way to the microphone.

Ruby Johnson spent more than a third of the remaining hearing with a discursive commentary touching on nearly a dozen points including a “threatening” selectmen’s budget.

“I’m not representing the senior citizens, but I certainly am one,” Ms Johnson said.

She questioned the proposal to add up to two paid weekday, day shift firefighters to the budget. That request was made by the Board of Fire Commissioners in response to lengthening response times, especially in getting volunteers to the fire houses to then respond to calls with the necessary apparatus.

“If you decide this is an emergency situation, then I think we ought to accept that,” Ms Johnson said. “But would you please convey to the public [why] it is an emergency, that we should do it right now before you work out the details.”

Ms Johnson discussed emergencies related to Middle Gate School water quality issues, and related that it took eight years for the town to alleviate the issues by completing a new water line. She also classified the high school space constraints as another emergency situation that she hoped would be solved more quickly than the Middle Gate water line project.

She then turned her attention to a $2.5 million allocation for economic development at Commerce Park. Ms Johnson quoted Economic Development Chairman Chet Hopper saying that if more high tech businesses were attracted to the project, it would attract more of their employees to relocate to town.

“If we’re going to go with two-and-a-half-million dollars, when are we going to get [the money] back in tax revenue from those people moving into town?” she said. Ms Johnson juxtaposed spending for economic development for additional spending to acquire the Reynold’s property to block development suggesting the left hand was unaware of what the right hand was doing.

Turning her attention to Fairfield Hills redevelopment, Ms Johnson criticized a proposal to tear up roadways and sidewalks on the town-owned campus to install additional playing fields and a paved walking trail.

“Those of us who were involved in reviewing the estimated cost of Fairfield Hills, no one ever said we were going to build a paved road in the back and call it a trail for people to walk on,” she said. “We thought we were going to use the existing road that goes up to the high meadow.”

Ms Johnson concluded her comments by calling on the council to look closely at the proposed 6.5 percent tax increase, but not to make cuts that would further impact the school budget.

Sarah Beier, chairman of the townwide PTA Council spoke briefly, thanking the High School Media Club moderator and student volunteers for being available to capture the recent hearings for rebroadcast to those residents who could not come out in person to the proceedings.

Ms Beier then encouraged those in the audience and those watching the broadcast to come out to the polls and participate in the budget vote.

“I think we’ve come to understands that when our budgets pass it puts us in a better light when we go to borrow money [for debt service],” she said. “I hope that everyone here will work in your neighborhoods, with your friends and associations to encourage people to get out and participate in our budget and participate in our vote. I think it’s really important.”

Po Murray, who heads up the grass roots special interest group WECAN (We Care About Newtown) pointed out current legislation on the table in Hartford that might impact the school budget, and noted the rising energy costs will continue to take a toll on the bottom line.

“I believe we are here tonight with a common goal,” Ms Murray said. “The Board of Education and [First Selectman Herb] Rosenthal have presented a fiscally responsible budget that we can easily support. Please support this budget and continue to explore additional funding strategies for Newtown.”

Mary Ann Jacob came to the microphone to further support comments from Ms Beier.

“I hope no one takes offense,” she said. “Of all the women who voted in Newtown, only 50 percent of their spouses voted. There are a lot of ways including absentee ballots to remedy that. If we get the other half of those families to vote, we would go a long, long way to improving the voting percentage.”

Kathleen McKee concluded the meeting with a plea on behalf of longtime Newtown residents who are finding it increasingly challenging to remain in Newtown because of rising taxes. She told the council that her taxes have gone up 25 percent since 2003.

“And my income hasn’t,” she said. “I understand it’s important to keep town services and the schools at the level where they are at — it keeps our property values up. But if I don’t have the money to take care of routine maintenance, my property values will go down,” she said.

Ms McKee said it seemed that increasing taxes is forcing an entire economic demographic out of town that is challenged to keep up with the rising taxes. She suggested the council look into supporting the Homestead Act at the state level as a means for protecting the interests of individuals who want to remain in town for long periods of time and develop homes here.

At the conclusion of the comments, Council Chairman Will Rodgers reminded the audience that although there are two meeting dates set aside for council deliberation on the budget, there was a possibility that the proposal could come to a vote as early as next Wednesday’s meeting.