Online Survey Results—

Review Of Town Departments

Draws A Range Of Responses

By Eliza Hallabeck

While some Bee readers mentioned not having enough experience with Newtown’s town departments to rate them on last week’s informal Newtown Bee survey, “How Would You Rate Town Departments?” others noted strong concerns or high compliments to the varying departments.

Online readers and Newtown Bee Facebook followers were asked to add their responses to the survey, assessing the town departments as listed on the town’s website, www.newtown-ct.gov.

Departments included in the survey were the assessor, building department, town clerk, economic community development office, emergency communications center, finance, fire marshal, Newtown public schools, first selectman’s office, health district, geographic information systems & technology, human resources, land use agency, parks and recreation, police, public works, registrar of voters, senior center, social services, and tax collector.

The economic community development office was the lowest rated department in town, with a plurality of respondents choosing 1 on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest mark. A plurality of respondents rated public works 9, and parks and recreation earned an 8.

While the majority of departments earned plurality ratings of a middling 5 from the 95 survey responders, five departments — the emergency communications center, fire marshal, first selectman’s office, health district, and registrar of voters — earned 10s from a plurality of respondents.

“Overall our town departments do an excellent job,” one responder said. “The public school needs to do a better job understanding, forecasting and managing their expenses and consumption needs. Our town is on the verge of growing to the next level. This requires significant vision and leadership. Balancing the desire of town residents to consume services needs to be measured against what we can, or are willing, to pay. Sometimes the only way to manage the desires of special interest groups is to allow them to pay more for what they feel they ‘have to have.’ It’s clear that the town can’t continue on the current path of over consumption without having a significant increase in new commercial businesses to help support our common needs. We see other nearby towns being more successful in that area, enjoying subsequent lower individual taxes. Not addressing that in the near term will result in continued budget issues and shortfalls.”

Multiple comments noted that when a person was not sure about a department or has not had much experience with a department, they rated that department average on the survey.

One responder commented on the survey itself, saying, “Each department is unique and it seems as if all the workers and managers are doing their best. I am sure the [first] selectman will look at all the comments and talk to them about it and the perception that people have. Reading some of the comments you can see where some of the comments are personal and hurtful to some of the managers — who is to say if they are true or not but hopefully someone will look into it.”

Another commenter said, “They all need to revamp their systems and policies.”

For the first selectman’s office readers named First Selectman Pat Llodra by name on the survey, with mainly positive comments.

“I think the staff, and especially Mrs Llodra, are doing a fine job. I do think Mrs Llodra should be less cautious about ‘leading’ — especially when we get these stupid cross-board fights that are often partisan. She tends to stand back and watch, and I’d rather she step up and speak her mind — because I trust her,” one comment said.

One comment about the fire marshal’s office said, “Newtown is lucky to have Bill Halstead. He is very knowledgeable and a huge asset to have in our town.”

But for all the top marked departments negative comments were also included on the survey. To read all of the comments go to the survey link at www.newtownbee.com.

A new survey, posted Wednesday, July 28, asks residents to reflect on their time in school, and results, which will be collected on Wednesday, August 4, will be used in this year’s Back To School supplement.