The Mistake Of Short-Term Planning
The Mistake Of Short-Term Planning
To the Editor:
Previously I had asked, âHow did we end up with almost $100 million worth of capital projects for the next five years?â And we have another $30 million worth of middle school renovation on year six.
Well, I think I can begin to answer that question. Our town leaders have made many short-term Band-aid decisions in the past. The Board of Finance has limited spending in attempt to adhere to its ten percent self-imposed cap. There has been no vision for Newtown and we have lacked a genuine planning process, which has delayed many projects.
The Newtown Bee article from December 10, 2003, will shed some light. It states:
âMr Rosenthal suggested, in regard to the $10 million proposed in the CIP for the academy, that the Board of Finance should tell the Board of Education that this is what the town can afford. Noting that the Board of Education needs additional space for students,â he said, if there is a need for another building, it could be designed for the amount of money proposed in the CIP.
Mr Gaston noted that the $10 million number âfits in the parameters of our guidelines.â
It appears that we continue to apply the Band-aid approach to financing our capital needs rather than creating a strategic plan that will most likely save tax dollars in the long run. By building the high school expansion project to the middle projection numbers, the finance board members are able to stay within their guidelines but we will be faced with addressing the same space needs issue for the third time in the near future. The taxpayers will end up paying so much more.
One year ago, on December 21, I went to the Legislative Council meeting and made this statement:
âI am concerned that we will be making a mistake by short-term planning for our town. We have so many needs and limited funds. We should start with a blank slate and prioritize the genuine needs first and then maybe someday we will be able to add some nice-to-haves. Providing adequate school space for our children is a necessity. It seems we do not have a genuine plan to act on this need. It would be wise to look at all the capital improvement projects including the ones already approved and reevaluate the priorities. Would it be within the legal guidelines to hold off on the preauthorized projects? If so, can we have a town meeting and ask the people of this town to re-evaluate their priorities?â
Here we are one year later, there have been no progress with long-term planning and we are about to make the same type of Band-aid decision based on the self-imposed spending cap. Where is the leadership to begin the planning process?
I am frustrated that our town leaderâs priorities prevail over what is good for the town. Why was it so easy to approve spending $12 million for open space acquisition? Who can tell me that spending over $3 million for development of a tech park and spending $10.5 million on a new town hall is a priority over dealing with deteriorating school facilities and providing adequate space for our children?
People are not moving into Newtown for the new town hall, the open space, or the tech park. They move here for the quality school system and having quality school system benefits everyone in the community.
Po Murray
Member of We Care About Newtown
38 Charter Ridge Drive, Sandy Hook                    December 5, 2006