Budget workshop 4/9
We had the final budget workshop tonight at 6pm. Unfortunately, I got caught in traffic and arrived a few minutes late.
Tom Ruocco was speaking when I arrived. He was voicing his desire (and that of others) for the budget committee to investigate the possibility of designing guidelines regarding the "8%" rule general fund equity... also known as the "rainy day fund." (The "8%" is a number driven by requests from the various ratings agencies, including Moody's and... Fitch, I think. It means that our general fund balance should be 8% of the annual operating budget.) I believe the goal of these guidelines would be address concerns raised about the town's use of an annual surplus... a surplus which often leaves some people with a sense that they were overtaxed. I think the idea has merit. And I believe Elizabeth Esty and Mike Ecke also felt that way.
Then I spoke. I had two main points to make. First, I don't expect to support the pool budget tomorrow... my reasons are the same as last year. (And in a related topic... the Town Manager mentioned that he hopes to have a pool consultant update at the meeting tomorrow.)
Second, I had some questions about proposed personnel changes. However, I was assured that while those proposed changes had a budgetary impact... the changes themselves would be further reviewed. So I didn't even have many questions on this as I felt there would be a more appropriate time, at a later date, to ask those questions.
Bottom line to me... unless some unforeseen and compelling argument is made during the budget deliberations tomorrow (which is possible, but highly unlikely), I'm guessing that I'll be voting in favor of the budget. As I've said... it's not perfect... but you need five votes.
Finally, for those who have never followed our budget process before... for administrative reasons, the Town Manager asks that the Council give him 24 hours to prepare a motion for the budget. Therefore, as of tonight, the budget was unofficially adopted. From a technical standpoint, this makes a lot of sense. The Town Manager simply doesn't want to risk performing calculations on the fly... in turn, offering the Council a budget with incorrect numbers.
So while the budget has not yet been adopted, I'll venture a guess and say that you can expect your taxes to increase 1.66% this year.
Tim White
Town Council, Budget Committee
24 comments:
Tim you are right there are no perfect budgets but this one is close. You can take up the other issues later and I am sure you will be heard.
OVERTAXED AGAIN. Two years in a row. You only worry about the pool(which is a lost cause). Time for a complete change (local, state and national). It's the same old cow manure just shaped differently. What a way to start the day. Well let me go to work since I must work longer to pay all my new tax increases....
There might not be perfect budgets but some are very inflated.
This budget is lower % than any of the Dave Schrumm years. It is lower than any Republican budget of the last ten years except the zero budget and you know that went over like a fart in Church.
Overtaxed what service are you cutting so you are no longer overtaxed? No budget is perfect, I am sure that you made all your points at the council hearings? Of course I am sure that since you are now over worked to pay for the taxes you have no time to voice what you think. Too bad.
Holy fiscal responsibility Batman!!
This is a great budget because of the hard work and dedication of the Budget committee!
Good job to white Ecke and Esty!!
I would also like to thank the efforts of the Town Council Budget Committee – Mike Ecke, Elizabeth Esty, and Tim White.
They put in a lot of time, asked good questions, and tried to be fair and objective
Anon 8:59 Get the facts. Never has there been a zero budget in Cheshire. During that so called ZERO budget year the increase was($234,000?). By having sacrificed that year we are now realizing the benefits. Thank whoever you want but the bullet was bitten that year.
12:43 You are flat out wrong. The true fact is that it has taken three years of higher spending to make up for the zero year. All that did was increase spending for the next three budgets.
That is a lie, but why expect more?
A handful of residents attend budget workshop meetings every year. These residents see first hand how the budget process works and where our tax dollars are allocated. To make assumptions and false statements regarding councilmen and the budget process is misguided. If anyone would like to see the hard work that our councilmen and staff put into this they should have attended and obtained the facts.
1:10PM Your wrong! Our tax increases for the past three years have been relatively low. The year of the so-called 0 budget was difficult. The council knew that taxes would be going up considerably because it was a re-evaluation year. Some residents felt a 10% - 14% increase. The budget increases by the town and BOE could no longer be sustained. It was a message that had to be sent and was long overdue.
The low tax increases of the past three years could have been lower if it were not for having to play catch-up.
That year was reckless and was one man's mission to get the BOE and teach them a lesson. It is sad when someone's ego has an effect on children.
What effect did it have on the children? Not one program was cut, not one teacher was laid off. The BOE budget every year has plenty of fluff but no one has the nerve to call them on it. This year was the first year the BOE actually did their job and reduced their budget.
6:31 That year Cressy told the nontenured teachers they were not going to be rehired until the final numbers showed enough retirees to keep them.
As my son's special ed teacher at Darcey was among them, I assure you this was not how you want to do things.
9:33 I guess you don't follow the BoE meetings because if you did, you'd know that EVERY year the nontenured teachers are given notice of possibly not being rehired. Dr. Florio recently did the same notification.
that year the gun was loaded. This year it wasn't
There was the real possibility we would have lost valuable staff that year.
Frankly, I don't need a lecture from you about my child's education, or on teacher retention
Perhaps we can buy fancy bricks in front of the body shop with the money folks like you don't want to spend on special ed teachers
Point is- we didn't lose any that year either. Everything that needed to be funded was. The BOE likes to play games when they don't think their going to get what they want. If its not teacher layoffs its cutting music or sports. Its a way of getting parents and students to turn out in mass to Town Council Meetings and complain. Its well known that the Athletic Director emails all coaches and tells them to get students to attend. Its a game that was played out often, like the boy who cried wolf! This is the first year in many that the BOE did it's job and reduced the budget before sending it to the Town Council. When the BOE does their job it makes it easier for everyone.
l0:30 How can you assume I don't want to spend money on spec ed teachers? What remarks did I make to make you think that, or to think that I want the West Main St. project to move forward? You shouldn't assume anything because we both know what that means. If you're not expecting a response to a post you make, then don't post anything. This blog is supposed to be a place to discuss important topics.
And btw, most of the money spent on special ed is because of mandates from the State. We have to spend it and there's not much arguing with that.
Chill out!
1:11 You are exactly right. You hit the nail on the head.
Re; the last two posters
All I know if you had a special needs child in your family you wouldn;t be quite so cavalier about retaining teachers.
Yes this blog is about important things. The most important thing to me is my child.
What's yours?
Cressy told everyone that year he expected to lose eight teachers. And If he wasn;t bluffing (he said he got more retirements than he expected), then what?
You tell me since you are the experts
I see lots of folks sticking up for money for astroturf, free parking for students, and building linear parks to nowhere. If no one else is going to stand up for the children in our community who need our help, well, dammit I will
No one is saying you should not be concerned for your child. I put a child through the Cheshire school system with learning disabilities so I know exactly how you feel. But you have to understand special education cannot be cut it is mandated by the state. As far a Cressy is concerned he spent money like he was printing it in his basement. He gave bonuses to his administrators some $5,000 per year. So his concerns for the town Cheshire or your child didn't exist. When he finally realized the BOE budget was not a bottomless pit he left/retired. The Cressy days are over and our school system has improved it's time to move on.
To all of you educrats out there; those of you that blindly support the Supt and his budget. You have been lied to for many years. Ask the Supt how in the zero budget year was he able to run the school system when hge asked for 2.3 mil and got 234k. There was more than suffiecient money to do it and you allowed him to scare you into thinking there would be no sports at Dodd and freshamn at the High School unless the parents forked up private donations to pay for it. That was the same year he placed a large amount of money into the medical trust fund reserve account. If he had no money how did he do it? The 234k would have paid for the two Dodd teachers plus the 109k for sports. Did he make that decision no, he chose to spen the money elsewhere. IOn a small budget committee meeting in the year of the zero budget he stated. when asked if there were any additional cuts that could be made he said to remove the two teachers from Dodd and he was making this decision without the approval of the BOE. Then in the BOE meeting he states he cannot hire the 2 teachers at Dodd because the Town Council cut his budget. You canot have it both ways. Now, this year he states any additional cuts by the Town Council will severly impact his budget. Kathy Hellreich; BOE member gets up and pleads to the Town Council not to cut the budget because it will impact programs. The next night the Supt states in the budget committee meeting he can afford to have the 242k the Town Council wants to cut from his budget because it has no impact on his programs. You cannot have it both ways. Now, going forward the Supt will state he cannot hire the requested teachers because the Town Council cut his budget by 242k. Do you guys see a pattern? Wake up, show up and ask questions.
folks I'm surely no spendthrift, but my experience is when budgets are cut, often the necessities get cut out and the toys get left in.
Hence, my bad reaction to the "zero budget year". Parents should not have to feel like they "dodged a bullet"
I'm pleased with how Florio has been running things. BTW
There is at least one person in this conversation that has his or her facts mixed up. In the year of the "zero growth" budget, David Cressy was not the Superintendent of Schools. The year you are referring to was several years prior, when state funding was reduced after the local budget had passed - forcing the council to cut the already approved budget by several million dollars. Florio was the Supt in the so-called zero growth year and NO teachers were ever told that they may not be re-hired.
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