Tonight's budget meeting
The MRJ and WRA were in the house tonight. So check there for meeting details tomorrow. In the meantime, I had three takeaways from tonight's meeting:
1) My esteemed Council colleagues - Mssrs. Ecke and Schrumm - enjoyed some highly philosophical jousting over the value of education spending vs. capital spending;
2) The TM is determined to retain $55,000 in funding for the currently unoccupied Asst Town Planner position. Anne Giddings attempted to gain Council support for defunding the position and keeping it unoccupied next year. For some reason though, the position remains in the budget. So if for no other reason than providing the public with clarity on the sentiments of elected officials, I expect that at next Tuesday's meeting I will be making a motion to defund the position. And if the motion is seconded, the voters should get to see "hands in the air" and draw their own conclusions about the Council's budget priorities; and
3) My suggestion to compromise with the Teachers' Union by exchanging value (OPEB funding) for value (no deferment on the promissory days) went nowhere.
Tim White
6 comments:
Is it true that the council voted to cut another $365000 from the BOE budget?
We can only hope so.
Tim, making last minute motions on the night budgets are passed is just last minute show-boating. Let the Dem's look silly if they try that. It makes you look silly.
The only think the teacher' union will understand is layoffs. Let the teachers explain to those laid off that we hate to see them leave, but we want the money.
As far as an an assiatant town planner position is concerned, it's ridiculous to expand this department at a time of low to zero activity. I would also question the need for the currently highly overpaid town planner, who represents the developers and not the residents
of Cheshire. We need a planner that understands that the main purpose of planning is to preserve the livability for its residents and not simply for the profit of a few developers.
As I posted previously, the asst planner position should be put on hold indefinitely until economic activity picks up significantly. The responsibilities could be filled, if needed, by the town planner or a PART TIME position with NO BENEFITS. THIS IS A NO BRAINER!!!
Freeze all hiring. Get everything worked out Monday and don't bore us with all the details on Tuesday. Thanks.
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