To the Editor:

Newtown is facing a Malloy train wreck of $8.9 million for the 2017-2018 budget. A $5.0 million reduction in state aid and a $3.9 million increase for teacher pensions going to $7.8 million in the second year.

This is a multiyear problem and whatever reductions we make for the upcoming budget, future years will require deeper reductions.

Take no comfort in state law prohibiting reducing expenditures for education and that the state cannot mandate towns to make teacher pension contributions. These laws will be changed to rescue the state's financial disaster. Newtown may not face these issues today, but will in future years.

I was encouraged that at the March 29 meeting, the Legislative Council proposing a budget 0.6 percent below the current year; 0 percent for the town and 0.9 percent for the school district. This is a bold first step.

I was disappointed however in the recommendation by the council that if the budget approved on April 25 does not cover the state's final mandates, the only solution will be to increase the mill rate. This is unacceptable.

I encourage the council to propose a 2.0 percent, not a 0.6 percent reduction.

The elephant in the room - In a multiyear state financial crisis, reducing operating expenses cannot be the only action. Capital programs must be cut back at least until the state's financial health is verifiably behind us, several years from now.

Community center, senior center, and the new police station at a minimum must be halted now. In the face of continued financial pressures from the state, we cannot afford to take on more debt, higher interest payments, and new maintenance expenses that all three will require.

April 25 referendum - Town officials need to propose a budget with a 2.0 percent reduction in expenses from the current year and drop these three major capital projects.

We cannot wait until the "final" amount of the state actions is known.

It is pointless to dwell on the unfairness and negative consequences of the required reductions.

We can agonize and wring our hands about deferring yet again a new police station and senior center.

It is ill advised to just keep reducing the size of the community center pool and arguing how much the cost overrun will be. Do not let the $15 Million GE gift become an annual expense anchor around our necks.

The longer we keep adding expenses and the later we start cutting expenses and capital projects, the more drastic the impacts will be in subsequent years.

No one will be happy with what must be done.

Steve Bennett

4 Monitor Hill Road, Newtown         April 4, 2017