Another Unfunded State Mandate

On The Way!

To the Editor:

As reported on the front page of the Danbury News-Times on Tuesday March 30, some of the people who have been elected to represent you and I and our towns and cities are at it again and as usual have given no thought as to how this wonderful new legislation is going to be paid for. See “FOI decison upsets towns.”

Per the article, the Freedom of Information Commission is poised to force all Connecticut towns and cities to record, transcribe, and then catolog/make available all voice mails and emails sent to the respective towns and city offices.

From reading this article, it is my understanding that this legislation is on the Senate floor and is to be acted on in a short while. Can you imagine what this is going to cost to hire a staff to go around all of the governmental offices in Newtown, collect this information, transcribe, and then store for electronic retrieval?

I urge you to call or write your elected representatives and ask that they not support this foolish mandate. Even if Hartford decided to send the necessary funding to pay for this nonsense where do you think the money is going to come from? You got it, higher property tax bills to support another unfunded state mandate! We do need to have an open line of communication between our elected officials and government employees both here in Newtown and in Hartford. Speaking from a personal experience standpoint, in the 19 years I have lived in Newtown, I have never had a request for information or assistance on an inquiry/project from our local elected officials or town employees.

I cannot say that has been the case to the last several letters I have written and emailed to our elected officials in Hartford. Not one has been responded to or even acknowleged. These letters were written to the people who have been elected to represent the interests of Newtown. So much for local representation in Hartford for Newtown.

Mike Kelley

21 Bridge End Farm Lane, Sandy Hook                    March 31, 2004