Search For More Revenue,

Not Just Spending Cuts

(The following letter to the Legislative Council has been received for publication.)

Dear Council Members:

For many years I have encouraged you to work harder to improve the revenue stream rather than making reductions to the budget. For more than a year and a half, I have consistently and repetitively encouraged you to establish a long-term strategic plan. Perhaps you could create a long-term planning ordinance. Planning is important and vital for our community.

I have learned that the issues we face in Newtown are complicated and there are factors that are outside municipal control. It is time for Newtown to become more aware and active at the state legislative level.

Newtown’s heavy reliance on property tax to fund the needs of the town will force us to continue to produce more tax revenue. You are beginning to focus on increasing nonresidential tax base by using tax dollars to fund the development of FFH and Tech Park and, at the same time, fund the purchase of open space while you have allowed our school facilities to fail and become overcrowded.

I question whether aggressive local economic development strategies with slow revenue growth potential will help to reduce the tax burden in the long run as it creates a vicious cycle of attracting more residential development that attracts more commercial development resulting in a continued rise in property taxes and poor land-use decisions. There is not enough money to invest to purchase the residential lots still available for development.

Our budget ritual has never created a win-win situation because there are variables stacked against us. You make decisions to minimize the tax increases to rectify the unfair burden to the low income and elderly homeowners and, at the same time, attempt to fund education. Even a modest increase in the mill rate never fully funds the educational programs and maintains the educational facilities. No one is happy with the outcome.

For many years, cost containment strategies have been focused on curtailing the cost of educating our children. Clearly, this strategy has created more division in the town. Please begin to explore alternatives to help to reduce the division and begin to educate the voters that Connecticut’s local public education is more reliant on the local property tax than any other state since Connecticut is ranked at almost bottom for state’s contribution toward education funding.

Without an initiative to push for legislation for the state to better fund education/municipal needs, we will continue to have difficulty with the budget. There are numerous groups promoting changes at the state level, including a group called 1000 Friends of Connecticut.

The absence of significant public participation during this budget season is not a sign of blank endorsement of the decisions that are being made. I have been told that it is fruitless to continue to send the same message meeting after meeting, year after year, when we are clearly being ignored. Many have stated that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

Po Murray

38 Charter Ridge Drive, Sandy Hook                              April 4, 2007