Budget Hearing Yields A Few Questions

By Dottie Evans

Is this the calm before the storm?

Wednesday night’s Newtown Board of Finance public hearing on the proposed 2003–2004 budget produced only a smattering of comments and questions, which came as a surprise to some given current economic hard times.

The hearing was supposed to give the finance board an indication of whether voters are ready to dig into their pockets and support the total proposed package of $50.7 million, including a town budget of $30.5 million (down 2.7 percent from last year) and a school budget of $50.7 million (up 10.59 percent).

“This is a night for us to listen to the public,” said finance Chairman John Kortze as he opened the hearings and introduced the two presenting officials –– for the town side, First Selectman Herb Rosenthal, and for the school side, Superintendent of Newtown Schools Evan Pitkoff.

Resident Mike Snyder told Mr Rosenthal he thought the highway department had done a “great job” this year. Then he asked why the town clerk’s budget was up 18.4 percent and the registrar’s budget was up 13 percent. “A renewed surge in building permits, subdivision, and refinancings of the past several months,” had been noted by Mr Rosenthal in his February 10 message. The increase in activity could translate into higher fee revenues, he had said, which would bring an operating surplus.

Rosemary Chapdelaine from the board of directors of the Family Counseling Center noted that “our request [$52,000] is only 12 percent of our entire budget, yet one half of our clients are Newtown residents. We just want you to know how important this money is to us. Our mission is to treat people regardless of what they can pay,” she said.

Resident Bill Chaloux said people should separate the revaluation issue from the tax issue. “We should be rejoicing,” because the Grand List is up 52 percent, meaning the local economy is healthy, he noted, adding there is more wealth to share the job of paying for schools and government.

On the school budget, nearly all speakers praised the job that Newtown is doing in educating its students. Dana Brand called both school and town budgets “frugal and well-considered, and I urge against cutting further. Our teachers are already among the lowest paid among comparable towns.”

Karen Craig suggested the school system try to curb “skyrocketing” out-of-district tuition costs for special education, and Dr Pitkoff replied they had already taken steps to apply for grants and consolidate programs.

Kevin Fitzgerald questioned the need for ten new teachers despite the projected increase of 171 students in the system next fall. “What if we didn’t hire them?” he asked. Dr Pitkoff answered that class size would rise, possibly resulting in breach of contractual obligations that might result in litigation.