Authority Has Too Much Power

To the Editor:

The September 28 issue of The Bee featured a front-page article outlining the possible commercial redevelopment of Fairfield Hills with boutiques, office space, and restaurants. Combined with the generous gift of the Newtown Youth Academy by Peter D’Amico, and the near completion of one baseball field, the landscape of FFH is starting to take shape. This is good news. Newtown has been impatiently waiting for some progress at FFH.

Many residents would be surprised to hear that the revenue generated by economic development on FFH may not provide tax relief. The main reason for this is due to the power and independence granted to our Fairfield Hills Authority by a state statute (CGS 7-130).

An authority, not a board or a commission, currently manages the redevelopment on FFH, and any authority may choose to retain and/or expend any revenue it generates. For example, the FFHA ended the 2004-05 fiscal year with a budget surplus of $54,205. Most town departments return their surplus to the town’s general fund, which is used to lower the mill rate increases for future budgets. Also, the revenue ($1.55 million) generated by the sale of homes on the FFH property was not returned to the town’s general fund. Now, the FFHA has $23.4 million ($21.85 million approved by the voters in 2001+$1.55 million) to spend for FFH redevelopment, most of which will be spent for a new town hall.

This revenue did not help to reduce our taxes.

I believe the current structure with the authority managing FFH is a mistake. As a member of the Charter Revision Commission, one of my main objectives was to ensure that the various town departments functioned with appropriate oversight, with checks and balances, to ensure accountability.

Newtown would be better served if our Legislative Council exercises its leadership and better protects its citizens by maintaining control over FFH’s revenues and replacing the authority with a board or with a commission so that the government has the appropriate oversight, and thus is more accountable to its citizens. This is not intended as a criticism of the hardworking volunteers of the FFHA. They are operating under the purview of the statutes and by the Legislative Council’s ordinance creating this body of government. Hopefully many of them would be interested in continuing in similar capacities in a more properly structured management group, which would be in the best interests of our town.

In keeping with its core principles of accountability, checks and balances, and transparency, the Independent Party of Newtown, of which I am a member, has pledged to replace the Fairfield Hills Authority with a board or a commission, which would require oversight from the Legislative Council. This is the only way to ensure that any revenue generated on FFH will benefit the residents of Newtown.

Joan Plouffe

9 Sturges Road, Newtown                                       October 3, 2007