Thank you, Cheshire. Au revoir -- until we meet again

I’d like to announce tonight that I’m resigning from the Town Council, effective October 24.

I am resigning from the Council because I have accepted a position as the Director of Administration and Finance for the Haitian Health Foundation. HHF is headquartered in Norwich, CT, but I will be living and working in Haiti for the next year or two.

Having just spent time in Haiti,* one of the poorest nations in the world, I was again reminded of my appreciation for America’s freedoms and material abundance that we so often take for granted.

I was deeply moved by the tragedy of the earthquake and wanted to do more than just donate money. I’ve never been particularly concerned with making a lot of money, as much as I’m concerned with trying to make a difference for the common good.

I wanted to personally contribute the best of my skills. Having lived in the developing world – I lived in Vietnam from 1995 to 1998 – I know I’d be comfortable living in Haiti. And having studied in Paris, my French language skills will be helpful.

My position with HHF will allow me to contribute my CPA skills as their director of finance, and to do humanitarian work directly with many Haitian people in the field.

I have loved serving the residents of the fourth district and all of Cheshire.

I have been most motivated by the basic principles of good government: accountability, transparency, responsiveness and effective long-term planning.

During my seven years on the Council, I’ve strived to bring each of these to you with some success.

At times, some may have thought that I was harsh on management. But that’s because the taxpayers have little tolerance for waste and mismanagement and they want people held accountable for their actions. Times are tough and we need to use our tax dollars wisely. Having reduced the number of town take-home vehicles is one of the ways in which I’ve helped to reduce wasteful spending.

I’ve also tried to increase transparency in local government, successfully advocating the addition of Council meeting video to the town website and increasing the use of new media by the town, including the forthcoming addition of Council meetings and government channels to AT&T’s U-verse.

And I’ve tried to be responsive. Besides policy issues, I have a list of about 30 outstanding constituent concerns. When my replacement is named, I’ll contact him or her to ensure a smooth transition of your concerns. And if you’re interested in serving the fourth district, please contact the Republican Chairman, Adam Grippo.

More effective long-term planning is another improvement we’ve seen. From modernizing the town’s pension plans, to comprehensively addressing the approach taken by the Public Works department, and with various other projects, we’re making solid progress for Cheshire’s future.

As for my blog, it’s really a diary of sorts. I expect to continue posting on it, but I don’t expect to focus on local issues. If you want to stay in touch or learn more about my time in Haiti, you can still visit my blog or friend me on Facebook!

Finally, during my four terms in the 17th through 20th Councils, I’ve served with 17 different Council members. I thank all of you. I thank all town employees for your work. I thank you, Mr. Chairman, for giving me this time. I thank the voters of the 4th district for giving me the opportunity to serve you. And I especially thank my two biggest supporters – thanks mom and dad.

But this isn’t a goodbye forever. This is just au revoir – until we meet again.

God bless you all and God bless America.

Tim White

* See here, here and here.

I ask for your trust and your vote on Tuesday

Thank you for the privilege of serving you on the Town Council.

During the last two years, I've successfully pushed the Council to:

* restrict the use of the nearly two dozen town take-home vehicles [1];

* modernize the town's pension system to avoid future liabilities [2];

* consider performance contracting to save taxpayers' money, conserve energy and make needed infrastructure improvements to our aging schools [3]; and

* add video of Council meetings to the town website [4].

However, I've also been frustrated by the lack of progress on other issues.

If re-elected, I will continue to push the Council to:

* deal with the Town's failed management, including in public works;

* address low employee morale, especially the police department crisis;

* end the relentless, wasteful hiring of unnecessary consultants [5];

* solve and move past the pool bubble [6];

* set priorities in spending; and

* eliminate favors for moneyed interests.

I ask for your vote on Tuesday, November 3, so I can continue to work for accountability, transparency, good services, responsible spending, and real solutions to the problems facing our town.

Tim White

[1] see me investigating the practice and getting results
[2] see a history here, progress here, and action here
[3] see a history here and progress here
[4] here is the initial idea, my continued advocacy and a bi-partisan success!
[5] i.e. the $50,000 road consultant, the $20,000 pool consultant and the $150,000 building assessment consultant
[6] my sincere efforts cannot find five votes because of realpolitik

MRJ on the pool's continual spending spree

The MRJs Jesse Buchanan reports on last night's vote to spend more money on the pool:

Tom Marino Carpentry will replace mold-infested sheetrock which had been removed from the pool locker room walls with water-resistant wallboard. The project, which does not include replacing insulation which was removed, will cost $58,736.

This money should not be getting spent another ad hoc fix. We should be taking a comprehensive approach. To that end...

In February 2008 I tried to take action on the pool in a comprehensive manner. Knowing it was right after the election, I thought there was a possibility that something would happen. I was wrong. After Council foot dragging for 18 months, we're only now going to be sitting down with some possible vendors to discuss alternatives to the bubble. Too little, too late.

The Council majority has had four years to act, but they haven't. Instead, we heard this in October 2007:



But hey... at least they can be intellectually honest sometimes!

Anyway, about the $60,000 that got spent last night... my view is that there should be absolutely no more spending on these ad hoc fixes. And if people try to paint a picture in which "the Council must act," then I simply say "no." This Council created this situation by it's all-too-typical inaction - videostreaming, eliminating DB pension plans, take-home vehicles, considering performance contracting. Several members of the majority simply refuse to do the right thing. Instead, they prefer to wait until the sky is falling. Then they act... with our tax dollars!

And when they do act, it's too little, too late.

Last night's pool vote reminds me of Ron Paul's saying about last fall's $700 billion bailout:

Spending more money on this pool is like giving a drug addict a fix. Sure, it'll make the drug addict feel great for a little while. But the problem is still there. And when it again rears its ugly head, the problem is going to be worse than before.

November can't come soon enough.

Tim White

Council meeting agenda - August 11

There's some interesting stuff here: Item 7A includes a possible vote to spend money on the pool. The chances I support that motion are somewhere between slim to none. Seriously, who isn't disgusted with this stuff. If the Council had acted in February 2008 - rather than playing dumb with my suggestions to take action - we may have had a shovel-ready project in December 2008... and this whole discussion could have been avoided. But instead, the Council prefers to drag it's feet:

1) considering performance contracting for the town,
2) modernizing the town's pension system,
3) reducing the use of town-owned take-home vehicles...

the list of inaction on important issues seems endless.

Tim White

Mixville meeting - 6/24

The Council met tonight to vote on a proposed fee structure for car parking at Mixville - there will be no fee for pedestrians and / or bicycles.

The fee structure adopted will be:

$40 for a summer pass for residents
$120 for a summer pass for non-residents
$5 for a daily pass for residents
$10 for a daily pass for non-residents

Several people behind the dais voiced their concerns about budgetary constraints within the budget.

In response - and I don't recall my exact words, but - I pointed out that these same people who are so concerned about the budget are the same people who spend money on:

1) town-owned take-home vehicles,
2) 5% to 7% raises for select Town Hall ee's this year,
3) conferences & seminars across the country,
4) the annual pool subsidy to the tune of $400,000 per year,
5) giving a sweetheart deal an easement to a major campaign contributor for $10,
6) spending nearly $250,000 on the pool this month.

I'm sick and tired of listening to Cheshire's Political Class complain about spending a few thousand dollars at Mixville when they can't stop throwing money at the pool and countless other things - $50,000 on a road consultant, $14,000 on another strategic plan, $525,000 on turf. In this economy? Where does it end?

If there are budget cuts, then it happens across the board. I'm tired of Cheshire's Political Class wasting countless dollars on the pool and neglecting Mixville... and other parks, such as Cheshire's newest quarry - Cheshire Park.

I really hope we can have a good housecleaning in November.

Tim White

Well tickle me pink - the 5%, 6% and 7% raises got reported!

As some of you may know, the White House press corps has something of a reputation for lobbing softballs at the POTUS. Why? Simple - they want to maintain access to the person they cover. If they lose access... they could lose their livelihood. Or at least the President (or his surrogates) could make that particular reporter's life more difficult for a time. So often a reporter has to make a choice between reporting real news or avoiding certain things that may prove problematic in maintaining access.

I sometimes wonder if the same dynamic exists in Cheshire.

Anyway, I give a big hat tip to the Herald's Josh Morgan. Despite Town Hall's best efforts at avoiding the public disclosure of certain information, such as the town's nearly two dozen take-home vehicles that get free, unlimited gasoline... if you ask questions in public and on-camera... it becomes increasingly difficult to keep information hidden by a veil of secrecy.

And the steady drumbeat of questions finally got some exposure for a particularly troublesome issue in this week's Herald:

Republican Councilor Tim White said he was “still scratching” his head at raises of 5 percent to 7 percent that were given out earlier this year. He said everyone knew last July that “things were bad.”

Regardless of the source (me), I certainly would have thought twice before including that highly important piece of information in any press coverage. A reporter never knows how a Chief Executive will react when the light is shed on an Administration.

And seriously... 5%? 6%? 7%!? In this economy?!As we enter collective bargaining,* is it reasonable to believe the unions will begin by saying... "oh yeah... though we don't like our boss and he got a 6% raise... we'll take this one for the team and agree to a 1% raise this year. Sure. We hate coming to work, but again... we'll take this one for the team."

I thank the Personnel Committee Chairman for his sagelike foresight that gave us these 6% and 7% raises this year.

And btw, when you see some Town employees getting those raises, anyone else think that just maybe the teachers felt jilted?

We need some leadership in town. We've been without it for too long.

Tim White

* The typical three year contracts all expire on June 30... though it is not uncommon for contracts to be inked after June 30 with backpay being delivered after the contract is adopted.

Town Hall Talking Points Memo - trash hauling & Richmond Glen

A month ago I detailed the Town's $30,000 advertising budget, noting the obvious influence such a budget would give to Town Hall over the news media. Taking this into account, I offer thoughts on two recent Council votes - trash hauling and Richmond Glen.

Did you notice how the Herald had two consecutive editorials regarding the trash hauling contract? And there were no editorials on the Richmond Glen sweetheart deal $10 easement?

My thinking is that this indicates the level of concern shared by Town Hall and mimics staff's talking points memo given to the Town Hall press corps. In other words, staff sees value in pushing the trash hauling issue, but pain in discussing the Richmond Glen easement.

So when the press ask "what's happening?" You spend your time focused on one issue, but pay little heed to the other.

More specifically though... by continuing to discuss the trash hauling vote staff feels it will hurt Republicans... those same Republicans who ask all those pesky questions about things like the totally unnecessary Public Information Officer title, the take-home vehicles and the field at Bartlem Park that is not yet finished after five years!

Alternatively, staff see value in whitewashing the Richmond Glen deal. And herein lies the quid pro quo... if you rubber stamp all of staff's initiatives, then staff will work diligently to avoid public disclosure of any details of projects that benefit the majority's Rubber Stamp Leadership. We can even find a way to hide the details behind the guise of executive session.

The dirty little secret of how our town government works (you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours) is just wrong and needs to stop. It's time for a change. I wish we didn't need to wait five months.

Tim White

Florio says there will be layoffs, retirements or concessions

From the MRJs Jesse Buchanan:

School Superintendent Greg Florio recommended to the Board of Education the elimination of about 12 teaching positions from the district to satisfy lean budget requirements...

"Right now, the shuffling ends at about six to seven teachers," he said at Tuesday's board meeting. Those teachers will have to be laid off, he said, unless concessions by the union are made or more teachers retire.

I'll take wagers on staffing reductions through retirements. There will be no layoffs. Keep in mind:

1) Teachers maximize their pension at 37.5 years. I believe it's 2% / year for a maximum pension of 75% of their salary.

2) There are currently 413 teachers.

So if every teacher stayed for 37.5 years (and that'll never happen for a variety of reasons, such as a spouse relocating), you'd have 11 teachers retiring every year on average. And since teachers don't always work for 37.5 years, you'll always have more than 11 teachers leaving.

It's true that layoffs are an option. But it's far-fetched.

It's like saying the current Town Council majority will direct staff to address the two dozen town-owned take home vehicles or stop giving out raises in the range of 5% - 7% at a time when the economy is falling apart. We know it's a hypothetical possibility, but it ain't gonna happen!

Elsewhere in the article, BOE member Gerry Brittingham took it straight to the teachers' union:

he believes the unions should give concessions if their priority is the quality of education."

If the parties who have said for years, 'It's about the kids,' - if they really meant it, they would have been at the table a long time ago," Brittingham said.

"Never once did he say it was for the kids," Brittingham said. "I was glad to see Mr. Leake say what it was all about - the money."

We will need to check back in October to see how this year's October 1, 2008 number of 413 teachers compares with next year's October 1, 2009 number of teachers.

My guess is that it'll be over 400 teachers. And that would be a reduction far less than the predicted layoffs of dozens of teachers.

Tim White

09/10 Town budget - my comments

Here's the outline I used for my comments on tonight's budget:

support Ruocco’s proposal B – better option

households cut spending, town must cut spending

we all must cutback, sooner better than later

problems just beginning

$13 trillion printed in the past year and a half

Washington’s Political Class has only delayed the pain

printing presses running 24/7

inflated money supply, inflated prices of consumer goods

maintaining services and minimizing taxes and spending


concerns:


1) teachers’ union renegotiates.

Municipal and state unions are renegotiating

Cheshire’s teachers’ - do the same.

if they don’t, if inflation kicks in, don’t ask to reopen


2) Another option for the Council

increased use of the multiple reserves.

about $10 million

long-term liabilities and impending infrastructure costs:

$20 million pension fund deficit
$3 million heart & hypertension liability
$10 million for a sewer plant retrofit
the pool among other costly items

reducing the reserves with so many large expenditures looming.


3) the Council discussed cutting town government spending.

cuts would result in losing bodies.

disagreed and suggested an across-the-board reduction in hours.

35 hours per week becomes 33 hours per week.

reaction from staff was surprising, but nothing new.

“Annie Hall.” subtitles scene

the words that were spoken

subtitles were perfectly clear

comments not welcome.

idea won’t work.

shouldn’t even discuss it.

Just be quiet!

idea was dismissed.

fair enough.

one of nine.

another concern.

a hostile work environment

town employees - fear of encountering a hostile work environment - good cost saving ideas missed.

tone of the discussion was inappropriate

the tone starts with the Council.


4) People are making less money

Hourly employees are working fewer hours.

Contractors have fewer jobs

Retirees on fixed incomes are receiving less in dividends.

Earlier this year, one of Cheshire’s largest employers cut wages by 6%.

And as I mentioned before, many government unions are offering concessions.


5) With regard to the revaluation, smaller houses will likely get hit harder than larger houses. So the people who can probably least afford a tax increase will bear the largest burden.


6) Why are we still funding the conferences and seminars that occur all over North America?

Why have we taken no action on the town’s two dozen take home vehicles that all receive unlimited, free gasoline?

Why, during this fiscal year, did we give out raises to some employees in the range of 5-7%?

Why don’t we eliminate overtime for non-essential services?

Why do we still fund the stipend for an Assistant Town Manager?


People are hurting and we all need to cut back.

As I’ve been knocking on doors for the past month I’ve heard two basic themes:

people are worried and

they want to reduce taxes and spending.

I think Councilman Ruocco’s proposal does the best job of addressing those concerns.

I added one comment after Councilman Ecke suggested the GOP Council members "won't be happy until we're 168 out of 168"* in terms of education funding for CT towns. Mike has something of a reputation for being thin-skinned though. So I hope Mike didn't actually mean that and was just getting a little hot under the collar.

I thought most of the discussion was good though. Sure, I know a number of people think we talk too long (myself included!), but we've got points that we feel need to be made.

The only other thing that caught me offguard was one particular Council member who seemed very angry tonight. That really didn't make any sense to me considering that particular Council member attended zero budget workshops. I know we've all got busy lives. But I sensed anger and it seemed unfair when I looked at the past month of budget workshops.

And with regard to the pool and Jimmy Sima's request for a summer-only budget proposal, the notion that it's too complicated to prepare is hogwash. Following the April 2006 vote on the 06/07 budget, I offered these comments on this blog:

I asked about the pool budget for the past month, both during budget workshops and in individual conversations with the Town Manager and other town staff. I asked for revenue and expense history (in order to extrapolate likely revenues and expenses for a summer only pool) and I asked for engineering details related to possible negative effects of not putting the bubble back up… that process started for me a month ago. And there were reports from town staff that were distributed at budget workshops during the past week, as a result of my questions about the pool. And to make a long story short, those reports suggested that a summer only facility would require a subsidy of $12,000 to $38,000.

Those numbers could have been compiled for Councilman Sima. But staff had no interest in doing so because it wouldn't serve their purposes. Furthermore when I recently asked about the 2006 summer-only pool budget proposal, it was all denials. Staff "knew nothing" of the proposal. Total hogwash. As for asking the particular staff member who compiled the summer-only pool budget... what would you do if you worked in a hostile work environment that opposed good cost-saving ideas?

Tim White

* FWIW, schools are not considered in terms of towns in CT. They're considered to be districts. And while CT has 169 - not 168 - municipalities, it also has about 20 or so regional school districts. For instance, Prospect is part of Region 16 and Bethany is part of the Amity School District... a region that also includes Woodbridge and Orange. I think there's just over 140 school districts in CT.

The budget is done, questions from Council members are still strongly discouraged

It's official. The budget is done. The vote will happen on Thursday, but I don't expect any further changes. And since so many numbers have been moving around in the past two nights, I offer you this spreadsheet from the Town Manager:The Democratic Budget Chairman, Michael Ecke, and GOP Budget member, Tom Ruocco, have two proposals that will be presented on Thursday night. If I recall correctly, the main differences are:

1) Ruocco cuts an additional $130,000 in general government spending in the "salary adjustment" line. Salary adjustments are the raises that people would get next year. Of course, the raises given to some people may not matter that much since The Democratic Rubber Stamp Council was dishing out raises of 5% to 7% only a few months ago. And that was at a moment in time that was definitely after we knew the recession was here and the bailouts had started. FWIW, I don't know the recipients of the raises - nor do I want to know. But I'm guessing those raises were given to members of The Inner Circle.

2) Ruocco cuts an additional $300,000 from the school budget.

3) Ruocco adds $16,000 to open the transfer station on two Saturdays with the purpose of allowing residents to dump their bulky waste. The trash disposal trucks will cost $8,000 / day.

So there you have it. Two budgets - one with an additional spending reduction of $400,000 or so and a reinstatement of bulky waste disposal (though not collection).

As for whatever happened to those two dozen take home vehicles, the travel all over North America, the pool and all the other questionable spending... well... The Democratic Rubber Stamp Council has clearly demonstrated that questions from Council are still strongly discouraged. And if a Council member unwisely insists on asking questions / making suggestions, s/he should expect to be scolded by staff for insubordination.

And so everyone knows, at tonight's meeting I didn't bother asking for an apology for last night's outburst. There's no point. We all know who is in charge of this Council:



Tim White

p.s. With regard to yesterday's post, the $91,000 reduction in the police budget was not real. Though you can see the $91k in the above spreadsheet, it included a $60,000 typo. So that "reduction" is not real.

Questions for the Personnel Committee

I just sent the following email to the Personnel Committee Chairman, Matt Altieri:

Hi Matt,

I write to you as the Chairman of the Personnel Committee. I have two questions from constituents:

1) In relation to personnel issues, how much have the attorneys' fees been for the period from July 1 2007 to Dec 31 2008? And generally speaking, what have been the issues?

2) For the current fiscal year, what were the payraises given to non-union staff? I don't want to know any specifics, but I am wondering about "salary banding" changes. Also, it would likely be useful to know if there were other significant changes, such as the number of hours worked. For instance, if someone decreased his/her hours from 40 hours to 35 hours (or vice versa) - yet maintained the same salary - that would be of interest. Again though, I don't want to know any names. I'm just wondering about general changes in the non-union salary bandings.

Thanks for the help.

Sincerely,
Tim

I've had several residents contact me recently about these issues. So hopefully we can all get some answers sooner rather than later. But hey... I started asking about the Town's two dozen take home vehicles a year ago... and we all know how much action has been taken on that front.

Tim White

Governor Rell's second deficit mitigation plan

Excerpted from Governor Rell's press release:

Governor Rell Announces 2ND Deficit Mitigation Plan, Calls Special Session for January 2

Governor’s Plan Erases $356 Million Budget Gap with No New Taxes; Leaves Rainy Day Fund Intact

Governor M. Jodi Rell today announced her new plan to eliminate Connecticut ’s current budget shortfall by cutting spending, redirecting revenue from special accounts to the General Fund, bringing additional efficiencies to state government and collecting additional revenue owed Connecticut by the federal government. The plan requires no new taxes, no employee layoffs and leaves the state’s $1.4 billion budget reserve fund (Rainy Day Fund) intact.

Governor Rell is calling the General Assembly into special session on Friday, January 2, to enact the plan.

“The national recession is an ongoing challenge for Connecticut ’s government, just as it is for our families and businesses,” Governor Rell said. “Government spending must reflect economic reality, and that means the tough choices families are making can no longer be avoided by the Legislature. We must attack the spending side of this equation, because raising taxes in the middle of a recession is the worst decision we could make.

“Some will question why I am calling the Legislature into session five days before the next regular session is slated to begin,” the Governor said. “The answer is as simple as it is stark: We cannot put off reality. We cannot wait to take action. The Legislature – the sitting Legislature – needs to take action.

“Every day the economic news gets worse,” Governor Rell said. “One need only scan the news in recent days: Layoffs at the Stanley Works. One-day furloughs at Pratt & Whitney. Two community newspapers in trouble and the Tribune Co. in bankruptcy court. Every day we sit and wait makes the budget situation worse. Lawmakers MUST address the budget deficit now. We literally cannot afford to wait.”

I'm glad to see an elected official take action. Sure would be nice if Cheshire's Council would take action on the pool, the take home vehicles, the west coast employee training, etc. But even a symbolic gesture of fiscal conservatism could gore an ox. And our Council majority is loathe to gore an ox. Best to stick our head in the sand and do as we're directed!

Tim White

Council meeting 12/16/08

Please welcome the 1st District's new (and old) Councilman - Sheldon Dill!

On the Lilac Drive Pump Station... based on Jimmy Sima's comments, did anyone else get the impression that there were screwups that weren't fully vetted last week? And in the interest of full disclosure, I think it was also Jimmy who tipped me off to ask the question "Since the WPCAs consulting engineer laid the blame for the pump station's flawed design work at the foot of the 1978 designer, who was the 1978 designer?" I couldn't believe that wasn't highlighted last week... shocking!

But on a serious note, the conversation did offer me an opportunity to explain something to the newest* member of the Council. I mentioned the extra:

1) $150,000 for the financial software,
2) $80,000 for the Norton boiler and now
3) $100,000 for the Lilac Drive pump station.

I asked the rhetorical question "and you wonder why I call this a Rubber Stamp Council?" There's absolutely no accountability. Whether the problems are internal or external, somebody ought to be held accountable. But not with this crew that discards accountability under the guise of civility. It's so frustrating.

Finally, we got to the budget item on the agenda which almost certainly was the draw for so many of the new faces in Town Hall tonight. Among Council members, it seemed unanimous that there would need to be spending cuts this year... though I simultaneously heard calls for all the spending "needs" in town.

I tried to skip the happy talk and share my thoughts:

1) current budget - hiring freeze - I'd rather pay some overtime to get the roads plowed in a slightly less timely fashion this winter... than tell some new guy next spring that he's out of a job on July 1.

2) next year's budget - staffing rollbacks - as bad as it may sound, I'd rather look at returning to former staffing levels that may reduce an ee's work from 30 to 20 hrs / wk... rather than laying off people. I'll cut, cut, cut before I want to discuss layoffs. I'll fight to maintain jobs, but I'm not about to sit around and let our Rubber Stamp Council ignore the realities of unnecessary spending on stuff like all these take home vehicles that leave town every night.

3) 2010 and beyond - inflation - by March 10 2009, the Council will be deliberating a budget that will extend to June 30, 2010. I fully expect bigtime inflation, if not hyperinflation, to kick in by then. So, hypothetically, if the Town gave no raises to anyone this year... it may sound great to the taxpayers right now... but what's the knock on effect, a year out? I'm not sure. The Bush / Obama printing presses will certainly create a great deal of turbulence and volatility that could have been put to bed by June 2010... too bad neither of them have the courage to deal with bad news. Finally, I mentioned that this inflation will be driven by Bernanke's ill-considered Helicopter Money as he inflates the money supply to the tune of $7 trillion by keeping the printing presses running 24/7.

Tim White

*and oldest?? ha! Sheldon's gonna kill me for that one!

Council meeting 12/9

Interesting meeting. I thought it ran fairly smoothly... which reminds me that I'm going to try to tape yesterday's PZC meeting when in airs on Wednesday.

One item that could generate discussion in a few months began on tonight's consent calendar. There's a matching grant application in there for removal of invasive species at Boulder Knoll. There's merit to project in several ways. But it's also spending that may be better off avoided for a year.

Next item to generate discussion was the Covanta contract. There's lots of moving pieces there, a history of which can be found here (scroll down). A lot people spoke, but I tried to avoid repeating others and offer my two cents about hoping to move Cheshire toward being a more sustainable community... though with the recycling industry getting hammered, it certainly becomes more difficult. The Covanta contract moved forward unanimously.

We moved onto the additional request for $150,000 for the Lilac Pump Station. There was not going to be a vote on the funding tonight, thankfully. I'm still torn on this. Obviously, the project needs to be completed. But there was a referendum question for this in 2006 for $750,000... not $900,000. And the Mixville Pump Station just got rejected at referendum this year. So there are reasons for and against. But what really sticks in my mind...

1) financial software
2) Norton boiler
3) Lilac pump station

And please tell me exactly what consequences there have been? I know that I don't want to be the recipient of the consequences next fall when my boss decides to fire me.

The Norton School Window Replacement bid waiver had lots of talk... but it was a nearly unanimous vote to reject the idea (1-8, Hall supported). What surprised me the most was when Chairman Hall said he wouldn't ask the PBC Chairman to call a special meeting to expedite the project. That made absolutely no sense to me. I don't see why it would be a big deal to ask a Board or Commission to have a meeting to expedite a project. And seriously... after the $1.9 million CHS heating retrofit project ballooned into the $3 million CHS air conditioning project... who in their right mind will argue that the PBC is concerned with costs? Ha! They're like the BOE... "you decide the budget and we'll spend it!" Sure, there are fiscally responsible individuals involved... and fiscally responsible ideas. But on whole, the only body that will ever demonstrate concern about taxes is the Council. And no... that comment doesn't necessarily apply to the current Town "take-home vehicles for everyone!" Council.

As I had mentioned a few days ago, the Town Manager discussed funding opportunities that may be available through the Obama pork project printing press fund Public Works initiative. I've spoken with the WPCA Chairman and assured him that if there's reason to believe funding will become available, I'd support funding the design phase of projects. I also learned that the building assessment RFP includes an energy / water / utilities audit component. Yee-ha! A somewhat comprehensive approach! That was great news. Plus... now I can cancel my "Utilities Audit" meeting that I was planning.

I mentioned a tentative energy forum for January. It should cover conservation (oil, NG & electricity) and energy assistance programs. I was hoping to get Congressman Chris Murphy to discuss federal energy assistance, but his staff are expecting he'll be in Washington for the entire month.

The Human Services Committee is working to increase food / fuel supplies for those in need.

The Retirement Advisory Board meets on Wed Dec 10 @ 6:30pm. I'm uncertain of the agenda, but I expect there will be a discussion on their general risk tolerance in this market. Personally, I'm averse to holding dollar-heavy assets. I'm convinced that between our irresponsible fiscal policy and negligient monetary policy... the dollar is going to devalue and / or experience very serious inflation, if not hyperinflation, in the next year or two. So I think we ought to be hedging against that by investing in non-dollar-heavy assets. I'm seeing that as different investments, such as gold or the extremely diversified GE, among other vehicles.

Anyway, I'm going to bed.

Tim White

Thank goodness for The Rubber Stampers!

The Courant's Don Stacom is reporting:

The state budget crisis edged closer to Connecticut's classrooms Wednesday, when the state school board reluctantly endorsed more than $280 million in potential spending cuts next year. Leaders of local school systems reacted grimly and warned that reductions of that magnitude would seriously bruise public education...

Cutting ECS grants by 12 percent across the board would inflict the heaviest damage on the cities. Instead, the state board suggested various formulas that would reduce aid by $413 to $428 per student. That could wipe out most grants to affluent suburbs, while doing relatively less harm to cities.

And the NHRs Luther Turmelle is reporting:

Faced with the likelihood of a more than $1 million shortfall in state aid, the Board of Education is facing some hard choices when Superintendent of Schools Greg Florio unveils his fiscal 2009-10 budget Jan. 8. But despite that grim prospect, Florio and the board Thursday night were careful about using the word “layoff” of some of the district’s roughly 400 teachers.

Boy-oh-boy... in difficult times like these, I feel so fortunate to have Rubber Stamp majorities on both the Council and BOE!* I don't even want to imagine how terrible times would be if we didn't have our Rubber Stampers to defend mismanagement* and wasteful spending* in government.

And perhaps the biggest benefit of having Rubber Stamp majorities - we get to see those mean, nasty, bitterly partisan Republicans for what they are! After all, we saw a perfect demonstration of their ways when they voted against the teachers a couple weeks ago! I mean, why else would they have voted to further discuss a union contract that included a 4.4% wage increase for each of the next three years? The economy is great and it's such a paltry sum... people in private industry (and in the town side unions) must all be getting much more handsome wage increases, right?

But on a serious note... I don't quite agree that "the responsible thing to do" was waste $20,000 on a pool consultant, while suggesting that spending $20k to further discuss the teachers' union contract would have been effectively "anti-teacher."

Tim White

* see the spot on comment from Alan Sobol
* hotWatergate
* such as with the town's two dozen take home vehicles

State budget woes increasingly serious

Today's MRJ has a piece on the current projections for the state budget deficit for this year and for the next few years.

State lawmakers grappled with reality Tuesday when two state budget agencies presented sobering projections for this fiscal year and the three that follow....

Revenue sources are below what was initially projected, and the state's 2008 surplus is experiencing a decline, budget officials said, noting that the there is a projected deficit in capital gain and non-withheld income tax.

A rising unemployment rate, a slow housing market and a declining stock market also play a role, said Robert L. Genuario, the governor's budget director....

"It could very well get worse," Genuario told a subdued group of lawmakers, adding that the state might have to make difficult decisions several times before the fiscal year comes to a close - much like it did in 2002. (by Amanda Falcone)

A few weeks ago, the Council was being told to not expect any mid-year funding cuts from the state. Regardless, we all knew there was an election and few incumbent politicians will be 100% candid and direct about bad news before an election. So I still suggested an immediate hiring freeze for the town... rather than hiring people today who may get laid off in six months. I also applauded Councilman Ruocco's call for a mid-year budget review and continued calling for spending controls on stuff like the unlimited gasoline for the town's nearly two dozen take home vehicles and a clamp on the overnight travel for conferences and seminars around the country.

And what changes have been instituted?

(insert crickets here)

Tim White

Do not question staff publicly!

As many of you know, when I ask a question during a Council meeting... many insiders get upset. For instance, Town Hall insiders have gotten upset during the past year when I've voiced concerns about:

1) out-of-state conferences & seminars
2) the take home vehicles with unlimited gasoline
3) a lack of a comprehensive energy action plan
4) the energy wasted on the pool
5) the corruption memo
6) the benefit of the tax hike fund balance policy
7) the lack of Council video on the town website
8) the volume of employee grievances

And residents, such as Marie Carolla, have even started asking why the Council refuses to answer my questions.

But I think this Council has reached the end of its rope.

Starting a few months ago the Council Chair decided that most probitive questions were no longer allowed.

You hadn't noticed this new prohibition?

Well, here's the new law of the land being spoken during the October 14 regular Council meeting:

That's right...

Council members shall not question staff publicly!

Of course, we're permitted to email staff with questions. But we all know what's happening here:

Control the information, control the agenda.

Tim White

AIG continues sinking

You may recall when AIG started hitting the headlines. I believe it was the weekend we entered with discussions of a bailout for Lehman, but exited the weekend with a bankrupt Lehman and Merrill gobbled up by Bank of America.

During that weekend the published rumors started flying. By Monday, Paulson hadn't intervened so NYs Governor David Paterson enabled AIG to change some accounting rules and use $20 billion of its own money to save itself.

Then AIG needed $40 billion.

Then former Goldman CEO Hank Paulson directed Banker Ben to print $85 billion to save AIG.

But according to the AP (By STEPHEN BERNARD and IEVA M. AUGSTUMS), that's not enough:

Concerns about the health of American International Group Inc. were renewed Thursday, a day after the insurance giant said it would receive an additional $37.8 billion loan from the Federal Reserve.

"The bottom line is, they need more liquidity than they thought," said Mark Lane, an analyst for William Blair & Co. The new loan is on top of a two-year, $85 billion loan AIG received last month from the Fed in an effort to stay in business.

And didn't these guys just waste $440,000 on a "getaway" to improve the business? Ha! Who do these guys think they are? Town Hall with their conferences & seminars and take-home vehicles?

Ain't fiat money great? It really does grow on trees!

Tim White

Town take home vehicles - 22 total

To recap the number of take home vehicles in the town government:

Building Department - 1
Parks & Rec Department - 2
Police Department - 6
Fire Department - 6
Public Works Department - 7

For a grand total of 22.

And they all get unlimited, free gasoline. Don't worry though. I first touched on the "vehicle use policy" (on TV) only seven months ago:
So I'm sure the Budget Committee simply hasn't yet had time to consider this... but will be taking this up "shortly."

I have no idea how many take home vehicles fall under the BOE.

Tim White

I thank Marie Carolla!

In case you missed last week's Herald, there was a letter in there that mentioned me. It was written by Marie Carolla and I thank her!

Basically, she asked several Council members to begin answering questions. I couldn't agree more. Their obfuscation, strawmen and diversionary tactics are getting old.

Perhaps with a few more letters like that one... who knows?... maybe even the current Council majority will realize before the next election that, in fact, the taxpayers do want explanations on:

1) out-of-state conferences & seminars
2) the take home vehicles with unlimited gasoline
3) a comprehensive energy action plan
4) the pool
5) the corruption memo
6) the benefit of the tax hike fund balance policy
7) the lack of Council video on the town website

among other concerns.

Unfortunately, we still need to get past the disconnect in which my approach is to take direction from the voters... but the Council takes a different approach:

Tim White