$3 Million More To Save

 A New Town Hall

To the Editor:

Most taxpayers are unaware that if they support the proposed 2009-2010 budget in its current form, they will be legitimizing the “borrowing” of another $3 million for the development of Fairfield Hills. This $3 million is above and beyond the $21.8 million that taxpayers authorized in 2001. Last year, Newtown’s town leaders entered into an agreement with a FFH contractor whereby they would reimburse him with taxpayer funds every year for 20 years if he borrowed up to $3 million to perform work that was supposed to be funded by the original 2001 bond issue. They did not ask for the approval of the taxpayers for this debt.

Town leaders also refuse to use any of the remaining $8 million of the original bond issue because they want to preserve those funds for their new town hall construction. If your readers are like me and find this difficult to believe, they should do what I did and call Edmond Town Hall at 270-4201 and ask them to confirm it.

 In its current form, the 2009-2010 proposed budget includes the first full year of annual payments to that contractor, and by voting Yes, taxpayers will be supporting this “backdoor funding” scheme.

If your readers hear from town leaders that they are trying to convert this debt into a bond that will lower the interest rate, they shouldn’t be fooled. They should wait for the line item to be removed from the budget so that it can be presented for taxpayers to vote on. Remember two years ago when town leaders responded to the twice-defeated budget by telling us that a No vote would not stop the new town hall construction? That wasn’t true.

If your readers vote Yes on the 2009-2010 proposed budget, they are giving town leaders the approval they did not seek in a straight forward manner with a town referendum. They will be approving the additional debt and raising their own taxes to pay for it.

So, to be perfectly clear, the town has now cut an additional $1 million from the education budget and even more in town services, but will add $3 million dollars in additional debt to build a new town hall that the people of Newtown have already rejected in the 2003 referendum.

I plan to vote No on any budget that includes borrowing without taxpayer approval. I will vote against any effort by town leaders to circumvent the public approval process, handcuff taxpayers and commit taxpayer funds without consulting us. I will fight any plan that adds millions to a project that taxpayers continue to speak out against at every opportunity we get.

To demonstrate that we will not be fooled, frightened, threatened or misled again, I encourage your readers to vote No on any budget that chooses to preserve funds for a new town hall over properly educating our children and maintaining the necessary level of town services.

Kevin Fitzgerald

24 Old Farm Hill Road, Newtown                               March 18, 2009