The Budget And The Process Need Changing

To the Editor:

The Legislative Council approves town budget of $84.4 million. If passed, you will be paying approximately 25 mills on the assessment of your house. The additional tax on most homes will continue to be approximately ten percent or more per year. The proposed budgets are always a responsible budget, cut to the bare bone budget. The school budget is settled and nailed down before the taxpayer can see or vote on it. Why? So you can’t make an assessment for or against it. All you have to do is pay.

The Board of Education doesn’t care if the budget goes down but the selectman does. Probably 70 percent or more of the Board of Education budget goes for salaries, pensions, and health care. The balance is for maintenance, fuel, books, busing etc. If the proposed budget fails who will bear the brunt of the decreases? The taxpayer and the children. The Board of Education has a win-win state-supported monopoly. This system is a failure. The State Supreme Court says it’s a failure (5-0). The rhetoric continues to mislead the taxpayers. We must have separate referendums. How do we effect it? Vote No. You have the power to restore fair and responsible necessary increases.

Richard Recht was the only member who had foresight and nerve to vote No. God bless him. Paul Mangiafico who was a dissenter in February is now an assenter. This budget must go down till we are assured the charter will be changed. Two changes are required. Voters must be able to vote on the school budget separately and the municipal budget separately. Referendums must go to the voters till both budgets are passed by machine vote only. No votes at town hall meetings for budget referendums. Hopefully we can restore some democracy where all our citizens are heard.

Paul Fortugno

Philo Curtis Road, Sandy Hook                                                                                                  April 20, 2004