Finance Bd. Cuts $1 Million-Plus––

Budget Moves On

To The Council

By Dottie Evans

Six members of Newtown’s Board of Finance voted unanimously Wednesday night to remove $1,050,000 from the 2003–2004 town and education budget proposal. At the end of a long evening, a total spending plan of $80,741,962 was passed and sent on for debate by the Legislative Council.

The council will start its review of the budget Wednesday, March 26.

The finance board’s reduction included a $400,000 cut in the Board of Education’s requested budget of $50.7 million, a $250,000 cut from the Board of Selectmen’s request for $30.35 million, and a $400,000 infusion on the revenue side from the nonrecurring reserve fund.

Since the Board of Finance does not cut line items from the education budget, it is not certain where the $400,000 school reduction will fall, if it passes the Legislative Council intact.

A last-minute “gradiant of potential cuts” was presented by Superintendent of Schools Evan Pitkoff with possible impact areas listed in descending order. Dr Pitkoff hastened to add that the Board of Education would ultimately decide where the reductions would actually happen.

On the town side, the Board of Finance has the authority to reduce specific line items. In cutting a total of $250,000, the members voted reduced the Edmond Town Hall Board of Managers’ budget by $25,000, to reduce the library budget by $25,000, to reduce the open space account by $50,000, and to remove $150,000 from capital improvements or roads repair.

First Selectman Herb Rosenthal said Thursday morning that the cut to roads was a big concern because he had already removed $150,000 from that account and because state aid for roads had been slashed.

“The way things look, we could stand to lose $600,000 over two years in road repair money and this will negatively impact all Newtown residents,” Mr Rosenthal said.

A proposal to cut an additional $25,000 from winter maintenance overtime was voted down by the Board of Finance.

Concerning the board’s decision to reduce the open space account by $50,000 (back to last year’s allocation of $200,000) board member Jim Gaston voted against the motion.

From a long-term planning point of view, Mr Gaston said the open space fund needed to be supported since preserving undeveloped land was one extremely effective way to control residential growth. This point had been made earlier by an audience member who said, “If you can’t figure out how to fund this budget, then let the building in this town stop!”

Education Supporters Come Out

A large crowd attended Wednesday night’s hearing and many stayed to the bitter end, determined to see how the Board of Finance would vote after listening to three hours of their impassioned pleas.

“Leave this budget as it is and let the taxpayers decide,” said Amy Cameron of Huntingtown Road, who had also come to Monday night’s Board of Finance meeting.

Many speakers echoed this sentiment, but Finance Chairman John Kortze answered that in his ten-year experience on the board, letting a proposed budget go on to referendum without any reductions usually did not work.

“We did this once. We passed it on to the town [for a vote] and it failed.”

“I strongly recommend you make your voices heard” at the polls, Mr Kortze added, because the turnout in this town has been “abysmal.”

“Two out of three of the last budgets have failed. And I guarantee if the budget fails it will not be interpreted as ‘Increase it!’”

The first selectman spoke on behalf of voters who were not in attendance, such as Newtown’s population of elderly citizens on fixed incomes.

“I get phone calls every day from people who are afraid they’re going to be taxed out of their homes,” Mr Rosenthal said.

He objected to an email request that had been sent around the educational community that allegedly predicted a $1 million cut in the school budget. He also criticized school administrators who may have alarmed people by saying there would be specific cuts in school activities if a large crowd did not attend that night’s meeting and speak out.

“I think it is wrong to manipulate people … the Board of Finance will not be cutting these line items. These kinds of cuts should not be put out there before the Board of Finance has had a chance to deliberate,” Mr Rosenthal said.