To the Editor:

While town budget approval is up to voters, I’m concerned that if town officials are not committed to supporting its passage, the April 22 referendum will fail.

The tax increase is higher than past years and requires abundant communication by officials to educate voters about why. Five of 12 Legislative Council members voted “no” on the BOE budget increase and on the combined town/school increase presumably because they felt more should be cut from education.

This despite a town operating budget presenting a greater percent increase than BOE’s. Some of them underscored it costs $12K per referendum implying the irresponsibility of the council should the vote fail in one try. If additional substantial cuts are required to pass a potential second referendum, failure will also rest on members who do nothing to support the current budget precisely because they understand the stakes.

If those who were no votes aren’t encouraging the passage of this budget, then they are rallying for more cuts to education and we know additional reductions cannot be absorbed by eliminating chalk and erasers. More cuts, after removing $2M from schools last year and in the wake of decisions by the town to underfund critical reserves in medical self-insurance that BOE and town rely upon. Officials who encourage rejection of this budget, as some LC members did last year, will share responsibility much greater than the cost of administering another referendum, but also for cuts to positions and programs, and the impact to education quality should this referendum fail.

It’s frustrating that LC members talk of compromise between spending and what taxpayers can afford without emphasizing that, unlike many towns, Newtown’s Board of Finance provides a layer of review and cuts before budgets get to LC. BOF’s sizable $900K BOE and $1M town reductions ARE the compromise for voters in a very difficult year and the LC majority upheld BOF’s recommendation. Current reductions are already acute.

I appreciate that voters need to consider their own finances, but we have an awful accumulation of cans that no longer should be kicked down the road.

Please vote “yes” to pass this budget and to the special appropriation questions on the ballot.

Barbara Wojcik

Sandy Hook