Taxpayer victory!

Alternative financing isn't just an "alternative" anymore—it's an essential tool for meeting our federal energy goals. - US Department of Energy website

Well... it was an interesting capital budget discussion tonight.

The crux of my concern with the capital budget was not on the projects included in the budget, but how those projects are (or could be) financed. I've been advocating for a while now (most recently at the Council meeting only two weeks ago... in the midst of the capital budget discussions) that the town take a comprehensive look at our building infrastructure and consider an alternative form of financing (specifically, performance contracting) for energy efficiency projects.

Why?

Well, for instance, in this budget alone the taxpayers may have been able to avoid a cash outlay of $630,000... if we had considered performance contracting, but we didn't.

Regardless, while the Council had ignored my calls for consideration of these projects... tonight I was finally given public support. That means going forward, the Town will consider this form of financing for upcoming projects, such as:

1) the $1,900,000 "electric retrofit" at CHS,
2) a $4,500,000 "maintenance project" at the sewer plant and
3) $3,000,000 for a new fire house in the north end.

So it's entirely possible that projects such as these will never require a cash outlay from the taxpayers. Rather, their costs could be covered through money saved on energy efficiencies.

Bottom line... this is a victory for the taxpayers and the town! And I'd like to thank Mike Ecke for his public support! (Privately, I also received support from Elizabeth Esty... so a thank you to her too!)

While it's unfortunate that the Council had not acted sooner, so as to possibly be able to avoid a $630,000 cash outlay for the current year capital budget... I think this is a perfect example of how the Council can work together to bring new ideas to the table.

And if you're interested in learning more about "energy savings performance contracts," click here.

Tim White
Town Council, Budget Committee

Memorial service Sept 19

A Townwide memorial service is planned for Wednesday, September 19, 2007 at 7:00 p.m. at the Cheshire High School football field (the service will be moved indoors to the high school gym in the event of inclement weather).

The Town of Cheshire continues to offer its support and deepest sympathies to the Petit family, friends and neighbors. Counseling sessions will continue to be offered to residents; please contact the Youth and Social Services Department for more information at (203) 271-6690. In addition, the Connecticut Association of Social Workers (860-257-8066) and the Connecticut Psychological Association (860-586-7522), have agreed to refer residents to local, qualified counselors for free grief counseling. (Taken from the town website)

NHR, by Luther Turmelle

Another corn maze

Check out the Cheshire Land Trust website to see a really fun aerial view of the corn maze at Ives Farm.

h/t to Tim Slocum!

Tim White

Council agenda 8/30

Here's the agenda for Thursday's special Council meeting:Included here is more discussion on the Strathmore dam.

And of interest to me is a grant to buy a hybrid car... perhaps a Civic Hybrid! Well, I've only got good things to say about mine. Although the grant name "clean fuel" strikes me as odd... hybrids (Prius & Civic) use nothing but gasoline and electric. There's no "clean fuel" involved. Anyway... that's the agenda for Thursday's meeting.

Tim White
Town Council, 4th District

Capital bgt 8/28

The Budget Committee met tonight to recommend a budget to the Council. There were a few items that got changed, including the removal (or delay?) of the:

sewer plant long range plan - $150,000 (incl last yr's money, this exceeds the $350,000 referendum threshold)

In it's place, the "sewer upgrade/maintenance" was increased from $350,000 to $500,000. This was a concern for me because $350,000 doesn't go to referendum, but $350,001 does go to referendum. And my preference is to send items to referendum. So due to my concern, as well as a variety of other concerns, this will likely be a referendum question this fall for $500,000... while the "sewer plant long range plan" will not be in the current year budget.

There also was discussion about the long-term planning of the town and schools. There seemed to be bipartisan support for this idea with comments coming from Elizabeth Esty, Matt Hall, Tom Ruocco and David Schrumm. I agree. We should have a better idea of our long-term plan for infrastructure (buildings, roads, sewers, etc.).

The Budget Committee voted to recommend both the current year and five-year capital plans to the Council. Both votes were 2-1 (White opposed). I have concerns with the budget, all of which I mentioned during the budget committee meetings. I'll draft up my thoughts and share them on Thursday night.

Tim White
Town Council, Budget Committee

A contrast in caucuses

US Senate Republicans

Larry Craig plead guilty to a misdemeanor and his caucus (Mitch McConnell) immediately referred the incident to the Senate's ethics committee.

CT Senate Republicans

Lou DeLuca plead guilty to a misdemeanor and his caucus sat silent for months... although at least Dave Cappiello spoke out.

As I've said before, comity reigns supreme under the gold dome.

Tim White

The value of a vote

For anyone who has ever been curious about the "inner workings" of the Council, we had a lively email exchange over the past week that I wanted to share.

It started last Monday Aug 20 with an email from Town Hall staff:

To all,

After consultation with Matt Hall and Michael Ecke, the Budget Committee and Special Council meeting dates have been revised as follows:

* Monday, August 27, 2007, 7:30 p.m. - Budget Committee (jointly with Council) for review of CEP
* Tuesday, August 28, 2007, 7:30 p.m. - Budget Committee (jointly with Council) for review of CEP, if needed
* Thursday, August 30, 2007, 7:30 p.m. - Special Council meeting, including adoption of CEP

We will get the agendas out to you all ASAP. Thank you.

That was followed up last Friday with another email from Town Hall staff:

To all, Here are the agendas for the August 27th and 28th Budget Committee meetings (both in the attached document) - thanks.

Then there was this email yesterday morning from (one Council member) and sent to the Council and staff:

Why is the scheduled Tuesday special meeting being moved to Thursday? The fact that a Tuesday budget/council meeting remains on the schedule "if needed" tells me the Council can have the special meeting to adopt cap budget on Tuesday as originally planned.

We block out 2nd and 4th Tuesdays for Council meetings and schedule the rest of our lives on other days of the week. I have a conflict with Thursday 30th so I doubt I'll be able to attend Council meeting.

Please advise. Thanks.

Then I sent out this email yesterday afternoon:

I think we should stay with the original plan and vote on the capital budget on Tuesday.

Then there was this email from town staff yesterday afternoon:

To all,

Chairman Hall asked me to advise you all that my email of August 20, 2007 regarding a change in meeting dates was prompted by the concern that the Budget Committee would not have a quorum on August 27 (tonight) and might not have a quorum on Tuesday, August 28, 2007, since (one Council member) is due to return from a family trip late in the day on that date. Any delay in (that Council member's) travel plans that are out of (that Council member's) control (weather-related cancelled flight, for example) could potentially create a delay in the action on the CEP. Therefore, he felt it best to set a "date certain" for the full Council to vote on the CEP on Thursday, August 30, 2007. This also provides ample time for council members to review, digest and prepare comment for the council's vote on adoption.

Mr. Hall also asked that, in the future, you please notify him directly and in a more timely manner if you have any availability issues.

Thank you.

Which got this response from me yesterday afternoon:

concern that the Budget Committee would not have a quorum on August 27 (tonight) and might not have a quorum on Tuesday, August 28, 2007

huh? As Chairman, Mike Ecke set the meeting. So if someone simply asked me if I would be at those two meetings, wouldn't it be self-evident that there would be a quorum?

felt it best to set a "date certain" for the full Council to vote on the CEP.

Huh? What is meant by “full council?” It seems as though neither Tuesday nor Thursday will have all nine Council members. So, what's the benefit of Thursday over Tuesday?

From the voters perspective, I’d suggest that Tuesday would make more sense.

Ok, ok... I can't say that I really expected a response. But I do wonder... are the votes of each Council member equal?

Btw, I intend on attending all Council meetings this week.

Tim White
Town Council, Budget Committee

Capital bgt 8/27

We had another capital budget meeting tonight. The highlights:

The proposed referendum question:

1) open space - $1,000,000
2) fire truck - $455,000
3) sewer plant long range plan - $150,000 (incl last yr's money, this exceeds the $350,000 referendum threshold)
4) sewer expansion - $200,000 (incl last yr's money, this exceeds the $350,000 referendum threshold)
5) Humiston upgrade - $600,000 ($462,000 goes to referendum; I believe this is for updating fire alarms and fire suppression apparatus)

Not currently mentioned in this year's capital budget (either current year or five year plan):

1) no money for strathmore dam.
2) no money for barite mines.

On the topic of the barite mines, I mentioned a book that I had recently seen discussed on C-Span:

The Day the Earth Caved In

From the Amazon review:

a 12-year-old boy was sucked through the weakened ground in his backyard into a muddy, steaming cauldron, barely escaping alive. When investigation revealed the full extent of the danger, the town and its residents were launched on a long, frustrating odyssey that drew in federal and state governments, the national media, hordes of attorneys, and large corporations.... In her engrossing saga, government agencies at both the federal and state levels are shown as irresponsible and craven, and the greed of corporations is sickening. But the townspeople, striving for economic justice while clinging to the hope of saving their threatened community, wear the mantel of nobility.

I know one thing about Diane Visconti... whether you agree with her or not, she certainly does care. And she certainly is persistent.

Finally, unrelated to the capital budget, but after the meeting I had a chance to speak with the Town Manager. I asked him about what I believe is the #1 concern for people in town: personal safety.

I asked the TM if the police were going to be offering any sort of public safety classes. He reminded me that he had mentioned a few things in which the police are already engaging, such as reestablishing "neighborhood block watches." And while I think that's good, I also asked him if the police could reach out to the community to provide "how to" information on personal safety (classes, products, etc.). I think people in town would really appreciate that right now.

Tim White
Town Council, Budget Committee

Zentek corn maze

If you're looking for something to do, don't forget about the front page story in last week's Herald... the corn maze at Zentek Farms on Higgins.

And if you're interested, I was talking with Paul Zentek this week at One Stop and while I believe the grand opening is next weekend... they may be doing a soft opening sooner.

Tim White

The North Block

Rep. Al Adinolfi wants to use the 400 empty beds of Cheshire's "North Block" prison (MRJ, by Leslie Hutchison).

Tim White

Rocking the boat

I hope a lot of people see this invaluable editorial in the WRA:

Connecticut needs more boat-rockers, in and out of government. It needs straight-talkers unafraid to call out the powers that be for their misfeasance and malfeasance. What it's likely to get when the politicians get around to replacing Messrs. Bycel and Papillo are hacks who go along to get along — "potted plants," as Mr. Papillo prefers to call them. Replacing these valuable men with two more potted plants might be enough to turn the Capitol into the state's official nursery.

Tim White

Council agenda 8/27 & 8/28

Next week's Council meetings (with the Budget Committee) meetings have had their long-awaited agendas announced:

Monday's meeting...

AGENDA:

1. Roll Call.
2. Pledge of Allegiance.
3. Discussion and action re: proposed Fiscal Year 2007-2008 Five Year Capital Expenditure Plan and Annual Capital Expenditure Budget.
4. Adjournment.

and Tuesday's meeting...

AGENDA:

1. Roll Call.
2. Pledge of Allegiance.
3. Discussion and action re: proposed Fiscal Year 2007-2008 Five Year Capital Expenditure Plan and Annual Capital Expenditure Budget.
4. Adjournment.

Since we've got a full Council meeting scheduled on Tuesday, maybe we should also vote on the capital budget on Tuesday? That is how it was planned until a few days ago. It should be simple enough to add to the agenda.

Tim White
Town Council, Budget Committee

Islander East goes south

According to The Day, Islander East may have gone the way of the dodo (by Ted Mann).

I believe Islander East had eyed the "southeast quadrant" of the interchange zone for its (every-25-miles) pumping station that would have moved the gas through the proposed NG pipeline.

Tim White

DeLuca panel named

Dean Pagani's "Media Attache" seems to have gotten the scoop on the Senate panel reviewing Lou DeLuca. The six Senators are:

Martin Looney (D)
Andrea Stillman (D)
Don DeFronzo (D)
Bill Nickerson (R)
Tony Guglielmo (R)
Andrew Roraback (R)

I have no idea on how this will turn out (no action, censure, expulsion, etc.). I still think that he ought to resign though.

Tim White

Minimizing impervious surfaces

The Courant has an editorial that may be of interest to people concerned about the environmental impact on the proposed ND. And here is a link to a ten year study on rainwater runoff created by the construction of "impervious surfaces" (sidewalks, roads, roofs, etc.).

I hope such studies are seriously considered.

Tim White

Meriden Square steps in

Westfield Meriden mall has apparently hired environmental experts to gather information for a possible legal action against a company seeking to build an upscale shopping center in Cheshire's north end. (MRJ, by Leslie Hutchison)

During a site walk of the property by the town's Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Commission on Saturday, two professional wetlands scientists working for REMA Environmental Services of Manchester said they had been hired by a Westfield attorney to provide environmental reports as part of a possible intervention, or lawsuit, by the international property group.

Tim White

Town business survey

The MRJ is reporting on the town's just completed business survey (by Leslie Hutchison).

Results from the town's first online survey of businesses show quality of life is a key reason that companies have chosen to locate (here).... One of the more unexpected responses concerns high-speed Internet connections, with 84 percent of survey-takers calling it important for their business.

Tim White
Town Council, 4th District

Murphy vs. Cappiello

U.S. Rep. Christopher S. Murphy supports campaign finance reform, an issue he championed while in the state legislature, but that hasn't stopped him from raising a record amount of money since he was elected to Congress last November.In his first three months in office, Murphy, a Democrat who represents the 5th District, raised nearly $420,000, the most ever by a Connecticut congressman during the first quarter of an election cycle, according to the national Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. That's a pace of almost $140,000 per month, or a staggering $4,666 per day....

"Chris Murphy talked a big game on the campaign trail about taking on the special interests," said Ken Spain, an NRCC spokesman, "but now that he is in Congress, he has become an advocate of business as usual in Washington." Murphy's opponent, state Sen. David J. Cappiello, a Danbury Republican, also criticizes Murphy. "It's what he believed two years ago, and it's what we should do right now," Cappiello said. "I would be willing to forgo any special interest, lobbyist or PAC money if he would do the same." (MRJ, by Adam Wittenberg)

Dave Cappiello has the advantage here. But in fairness to Murphy, he could rightly say that Cappiello is not yet his opponent... and that it's entirely possible that another Republican challenger emerges... or even that an independent steps into the ring... and those possible opponents would not be willing to forego PAC money.

Tim White

Sima on schools' capital bgt

A $125,000 project to replace moldy carpet in more than a dozen Doolittle Elementary School classrooms has raised the possibility that the Board of Education might have to seek a special appropriation from the town if any major maintenance emergencies crop up through the remainder of the fiscal year June 30.

District officials had asked for money to be included in the current fiscal year of the town's five-year capital spending plan....

Board member James Sima was critical of the decision not to include the carpet replacement project in the capital spending request. "It's sort of strange... that it got removed." (NHR, by Luther Turmelle)

Tim White

Capital bgt vote delayed

I got the following email from Town Hall today:

To all,

After consultation with Matt Hall and Michael Ecke, the Budget Committee and Special Council meeting dates have been revised as follows:

* Monday, August 27, 2007, 7:30 p.m. - Budget Committee (jointly with Council) for review of CEP
* Tuesday, August 28, 2007, 7:30 p.m. - Budget Committee (jointly with Council) for review of CEP, if needed
* Thursday, August 30, 2007, 7:30 p.m. - Special Council meeting, including adoption of CEP

We will get the agendas out to you all ASAP. Thank you.

No word on why the delay. Frankly though, it seems odd to me. After all, we're still allowing for a meeting on Tuesday.

Tim White
Town Council, Budget Committee