Newtown’s Broken Financial

Management

To the Editor:

Last week First Selectman Pat Llodra said “the current budget process is broken.” That is something I have been saying for years. However, I have changed my perspective on that.

Defeated budgets are a result of something much more serious in Newtown. Our financial management process is broken and the voters are mad, really mad.

Time after time we find ourselves in a position where town officials spend millions of dollars against the wishes of the taxpayer, all without our permission or even involvement.

The most grievous example was the Board of Selectman agreeing to pay $3.5 million plus interest for a parking lot at Fairfield Hills, claiming because it was a lease no taxpayer approval was required. Then we learn that $700,000 is going into the reserves account, again with no voter approval. On top of that we were told we must add more money to that account, another $400,000. Finally we learn $240,000 was forgotten about and was sitting in an account just in case the BOS had need for an extra couple hundred thousand dollars.

I bet each reader has their own example of lack of voter input and approval. Some would call it mismanagement.

The only recourse for taxpayers is to use what chances we do have to vote to say No. The taxpayers are mad and they are not going to take it anymore. So perhaps it’s not the budget process which is broken, it’s the financial management process in Newtown which is severely broken.

I am voting No to this budget proposal for a number of reasons.

1. The lack of transparency demonstrated in the last few weeks leaves me wondering how much more money is being stashed away without our full understanding.

2. I’m voting No because the town budget seems to be a shell game of moving money around so we get totally confused. The found $240,000 should have gone into the reserve account, and then there would be no reason to ask voters to approve raising another $200,000 for the fund.

3. Funds continue to be spent at Fairfield Hills, huge amounts of money, without voter approval and without the revised Fairfield Hills Master Plan being approved.

4. I’m voting No because the education budget is far below an even same services budget, and we are falling behind the other towns at an increasing rate. The $200,000 was given to the BOE with strings attached and will result in them being $200,000 in the hole the following year.

Until the town’s elected officials stop polarizing the community, and begin to engage the community in spending decisions we will see angry voters. The budget needs to reflect what the voters want and then they will vote Yes. So far all the elected officials have done is given us a reason to vote No. It’s not just the budget process that is broken, it’s our spending process. Too much and in the wrong places.

I’m voting No on Tuesday, June 26.

Bruce Walczak

12 Glover Avenue, Newtown                                            June 20, 2012