Public Budget Hearing—

IPN: Cut Library, Police, Youth Services To Fund High School Addition

By John Voket

Independent Party of Newtown budget committee spokesperson Ben Roberts was among about a dozen residents who spoke during the Legislative Council’s public hearing on the budget March 26 at the Newtown Middle School. But he was the only resident who came armed with a plan aiming to offset the amount necessary to flat-line taxpayer borrowing for a new high school addition.

The IPN representative believes the council could achieve more than $1.5 million in cuts from the general government budget by cutting funds from the Booth Library, Newtown Youth & Family Services, the Newtown Police Department, the Edmond Town Hall management board, and the Economic Development Commission. Mr Roberts also advocated the Highway Department postpone capital projects scheduled for Cobbler Road, Hi Barlow Road, and Brushy Hill Road that are part of a 20-year plan for town infrastructure maintenance.

During his two turns at the microphone, Mr Roberts suggested the town review an available state program that allows seniors to defer 100 percent of their property taxes. Following the meeting, Assessor Tom DeNoto said he had never heard of such a program, but would go to work researching whether or not such a plan was being accurately presented.

Mr Roberts criticized an appropriation request from the Town Hall Board of Managers for funds to repave the facility’s parking areas because it was presented on a handwritten memo.

“Is this how we should be handling a $300,000 appropriation?” he asked.

He said the IPN committee advocates cutting the police budget by $200,000 based on what he called “unrealistic staff levels” and department initiatives that could be postponed. The largest cut of nearly a half-million dollars would come from the three capital road projects that targeted overlays, drainage, and full-scale improvements to the three aforementioned town roads.

Suggesting the Booth Library budget be cut by $25,000, Mr Roberts said the adjustment would bring that line item to just under a five percent increase. And he said a $61,000 cut to Newtown Youth & Family Services was in order, suggesting the organization “achieve some efficiencies” from a recent merger between the formerly separate Family Counseling Center and Youth Services agency.

He said a $25,000 cut in contractual services to the Economic Development Commission could be extracted easily because a tech park project is on hold. The EDC, according to Mr Robert’s budget worksheet, has $35,000 earmarked for a tech park consultant. Mr Roberts proposal also eliminates the entire municipal contingency fund that is currently budgeted at $369,742, and to consider cutting up to $515,240 for projects at Fairfield Hills.

His final suggestion drew the attention of Town Finance Director Benjamin Spragg because it suggested cutting $97,000 for proposed technology at Bridgeport Hall, the building currently under development for new municipal offices at Fairfield Hills. After the meeting, Mr Spragg pointed out that that money already had been removed from the budget during selectmen’s deliberation several weeks ago.

Mr Spragg then noted another apparent discrepancy on the IPN worksheet, saying the selectmen had already cut the Town Hall managers line to $200,000, so a $300,000 reduction would not be possible.

The news of a proposed cut to Youth & Family Services’ proposal was not well received by the agency’s chairman, Chris Gardener, who said representatives from his organization would be on hand the following evening to justify the request. During selectmen’s deliberations, Mr Gardner explained that while the merger has generated tens of thousands in efficiencies already, the cost to relocate agency offices to Church Hill Road was higher than anticipated. Saying the move was nonetheless critical, Mr Gardner cited increased fixed costs and requests to expand outreach and crisis services, a teen drop-in program, and other initiatives justified the requested increase.

Judge William Lavery, chairman of the library board, previously advocated for additional funds to underwrite technical librarian services. He, too, cited rapid fixed cost increases, especially for utilities, which jeopardized the library’s ability to acquire new materials.

Judge Lavery accused the IPN of being “ignorant of the facts,” because nobody from the party ever approached him or anyone at the library to learn why the increase was requested.

“This cut will kill plans to increase our technical librarian services,” Judge Lavery said.

Police Chief Michael Kehoe and Captain Joseph Rios both previously appeared before the selectmen and finance board indicating a budget increase for personnel was to answer, in part, resident requests for increased traffic patrols to reduce accidents, incidents of speeding, and other hazardous operation on town roads.

Several other speakers who made brief stands before the council this week included several school PTA representatives and parents expressing concern over letters that were issued to teachers this week. Mary Ann Jacob said, “Teachers are being told they may not have jobs next year.”

That information was confirmed a few minutes later by school board Chair Elaine McClure who said she would also consider reducing custodial and classroom aides if required in the face of budget cuts.

Selectman Herb Rosenthal, a former Board of Education chairman, suggested after the meeting that using the contractually mandated correspondence as a scare tactic was disingenuous. He said the issuance of such letters to teachers is an “annual pro forma” exercise that is required under the teachers’ contract, and which insulates the district if multiple defeated budgets force cuts that could affect personnel, whether tenured or not.

Superintendent Janet Robinson said the letters are not only required by contract, but are also mandated by law in instances where teachers may face job action in subsequent school years. “Not knowing what the budget will be, we decided to inform first- and second-year teachers,” Ms Robinson told The Bee Thursday.

Other speakers at the hearing included Robert Melchiono, who asked the council to protect the school budget, saying the district needed to improve technology programs to “help our [children] succeed in the future.” Frank Lasky of Cedar Hill Road said the council should restore $900,000 in cuts to the school district by taking the money from capital road projects.

Kirk Blanchard of Plumtree Road encouraged the council to consider the level of proposed tax increases being put forth in neighboring towns as a gauge to determine a fair tax increase locally.

“It appears to me the budget increase year to year is higher than our neighbors,” he said.

After the meeting adjourned, council Chairman Will Rodgers said he appreciated the work of several PTA organizations in town who were working overtime to circulate accurate budget information and advocacy points. Mr Rodgers said he was hopeful those efforts would counter the “fear mongering and somewhat inaccurate information” being circulated by the IPN and some PTA representatives.

“That misinformation is designed to play on the already raw emotions of parents and school supporters,” he said. “I hope the information being presented by Mary Ann Jacob and her contingent can counter the inaccurate information that’s going around out there.”