Answering The Challenge

To Cut Costs

To the Editor:

Last week’s edition of The Bee included a letter from Gary Tannenbaum titled “A Challenge to Cut Costs.” This response is just to clarify for the letter writer and other readers that a whole menu of actions has taken place to address the town’s financial health and to contain costs, including attention to the items cited in the letter.

Since 2009, we have refinanced our debt several times, saving more than $1.5 million. In 2010 and in this upcoming budget, we reduced funding for Fairfield Hills management by more than half and are moving responsibility for some major services to town agencies. Prompted by the Legislative Council, municipal and educational leaders are currently engaged in an organizational analysis of their departmental work seeking to find greater efficiencies and cost-effectiveness. And, overtime for highway department workers is very carefully monitored and is allocated only when required by weather/road conditions or other emergency.

Other, more significant cost-savings actions have also taken place, such as the move to self-funding medical benefits and the elimination of redundancy in benefits consultancy. Further, negotiations with labor unions have succeeded in moving employees to a less costly medical benefits program and, at the same time, have resulted in an increase in the cost-share of employees for that benefit. This medical benefits initiative alone saved the town hundreds of thousands of dollars. The Board of Selectmen will soon be reviewing a proposal to regionalize communications and dispatch. While no immediate decision is being made regarding regionalizing such services, the Board of Selectmen will investigate this with great interest because of its cost-savings potential.

I appreciate Mr Tannenbaum’s suggestions and comments and look forward to hearing more ideas from him as well as from other interested persons. We in government do have to work hard when crafting the budget proposal to be sure that we have considered every reasonable option for cutting costs, while still providing a reasonable level of services.

E. Patricia Llodra

First Selectman

3 Primrose Street, Newtown                                   February 13, 2011