Take The Time To Understand

The Charter Question

To the Editor:

The Charter Revision Commission was comprised of an outstanding group of people whom I greatly respect. Because of their willingness to work together and compromise, the charter revisions are now ready for public scrutiny.

As a member of the Charter Revision Commission, I voted to send the proposal forward, because I believe that the voters deserve the opportunity to vote on changes that have been requested year after year. I did so, depending on the residents of Newtown to take the time to consider all of the risks and benefits of the changes, namely: 1) splitting (bifurcating) the vote on the town and school budgets, 2) having those votes be binding, and 3) being able to answer advisory questions about whether the budgets are too high, and 4) eliminating the town meeting after the [second] failed referendum. This fourth change will simply put into writing what we have been practicing for years.

As a fellow resident, I hope that you will take the time to look into these complex questions, especially the first three, before casting your vote on November 6, and ask yourself whether the potential benefits outweigh the risks. Of benefit, bifurcation could give our elected officials a greater understanding of which part of the budget voters support. Also, by making the vote binding, our officials will be able to focus on the half of the budget that fails. Advisory questions could give a greater understanding of what voters really want, which was the dilemma Newtown faced in the last budget season. Finally, it has been argued that the binding vote will ensure that the will of the voters who pass a budget will not be disregarded (though, others argue that only a foolhardy Legislative Council would take a cavalier attitude toward a majority vote in favor of a budget).

On the other hand, the risk of a bifurcated budget is that it may discourage cost sharing and cooperation between the schools and town. A bifurcated budget could lead to an increased failure rate of the education budget (based on research conducted during the life of the commission). If the advisory question results indicate that voters want a budget increase, and one budget has already passed, this will only be achieved by raising taxes. Advisory questions may be confusing to interpret. Additionally, only rarely are they likely to indicate that the budget should be increased (based on research conducted during the life of the commission). And finally, making the vote binding will limit our town leaders — the very ones that we elected — to use their in-depth knowledge of the budgets and of any changes in financial positions realized during a prolonged budget cycle.

The issues are complicated, but very important to the future of Newtown. As a Newtown resident, I feel the risks are too high not to take the time to understand them.

Michelle Embree Ku

28 Platts Hill Road, Newtown                                 October 31, 2012