ROBERT FROST, GPS, AND POT HOLES ... LUCKY WE ARE A BORDER TOWN

Malloy's approach to budget mess is unique

SUSAN HAIGH, Associated Press

Published 08:35 p.m., Saturday, February 19, 2011

HARTFORD (AP) -- While other governors are waging tense battles with state employees, proposing deep spending cuts and taking no-tax-increase pledges to cover their budget shortfalls, Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy -- whose wealthy state faces the largest per capita deficit in the nation -- is taking a different tack.

The state's first Democratic governor in two decades, Malloy is unapologetic about proposing a budget that raises taxes on everything from personal income to haircuts. And while he's calling for $2 billion in savings and labor concessions over two years from state employees, Malloy acknowledges he doesn't want to carry through on a threat to lay off thousands if a deal can't be reached.

Malloy also admits he's "not one of those people who dislikes government," a defiant political statement these days given the national tea party movement and demands for major cuts in government spending.

"I think we're a very different state. I think our people want different things and I'm trying to find the right match of cuts, consolidations and revenue, and that's what I'm trying to do," Malloy told The Associated Press during an interview in his Capitol office. "We need a Connecticut approach that works for Connecticut."

Malloy kicks off a seven-week town meeting tour Monday in Bridgeport. He plans to pitch his budget to voters and explain the state's fiscal condition.

In Wisconsin, there have been massive public protests and legislative boycotts since Republican Gov. Scott Walker called for eliminating collective bargaining rights for public employees and sharp increases in the workers' health care and pension payments. Arizona Republican Gov. Jan Brewer is ending a special Medicaid program that covers about 250,000 childless adults. Neighboring New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, has sworn off tax increases and called for a cap on property taxes. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican whose style Malloy has called "bombastic," wants to end cost of living increases to state retirees.

Dean Pagani, managing editor of Governors Journal, a Washington-based website that tracks the activities of governors, said Malloy stands apart from many other governors because he's embracing the idea that it's going to take a combination of higher taxes, spending cuts and union givebacks to cover the state's deficit.

"He's different in the sense that he is not putting all the blame for the pickle the state is in on government," said Pagani, a chief of staff for former Connecticut Gov. John G. Rowland, a Republican. "He believes there is a certain level of government that people need and require, and if you're going to require that kind of government as a taxpayer you're going to have to pay your fair share."

On Wednesday, Malloy unveiled a two-year, $40 billion budget. In the first year, it calls for raising taxes by $1.5 billion, includes $758 million in spending reductions and $1 billion in union savings. Malloy has made a point of ending some of the budget gimmicks of the past. For example, his proposal does not borrow money for operating expenses. It fully funds annual pension payments and uses new accounting standards.

Malloy is not alone in proposing raising taxes. Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton proposed hiking income taxes on top earners as the centerpiece of his fix for the state's $6.2 billion budget shortfall.

So far, reaction has been mixed to Malloy's call for the "shared sacrifice" that's needed to dig the state out of its deep deficit hole of about $3.5 billion for the fiscal year starting July 1. While some union leaders have called for higher taxes on the wealthy, the minority Republicans in the legislature argue Malloy has not cut enough spending and turned too quickly to raising taxes.

"They're taxing everything," complained Liz Fallon, a Milford resident who works in marketing in public relations. "It's just too much at once."

Brendan O'Connor, a railroad conductor from Milford, said he's thinking about leaving the state.

"If the taxes go up much higher, I'll move out," he said. "I just can't do it. Everything is so expensive here. I don't know how the average family makes it."

But others are more understanding about the challenges facing Malloy. Wendy McMurtry, an artist from Colchester who watched Malloy's televised budget address, said she believes he's doing the right thing by spreading the pain.

"What choice does he have with the problems that we're in? We're so in debt," she said. "It should be evenly distributed like he is doing. You look at other states and they're laying off police from police forces."

Malloy said Connecticut is different from other states facing fiscal problems. Its budget deficit is bigger, per capita. There is no county government to provide services. And he said the state's 169 towns -- including some of the country's poorest cities -- are already too reliant on property taxes. As the former mayor of Stamford, he is adamant about not shifting the state's burden to the cities and towns by cutting back on state aid, and has held back from making massive reductions.

"What can you really cut in Connecticut in state government," asked Malloy. "We could do what Arizona is doing and cut back Medicaid. So we'll tell people that a life-saving kidney transplant, we're not going to pay for? Do you think the people in Connecticut would do that? I don't. I'm too proud of the people of Connecticut. I know them too well to think that they would allow someone to die of a curable disease. I don't see that."

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Associated Press Correspondent John Christoffersen in Milford, Conn., contributed to this report.

Read more: http://www.ctpost.com/default/article/Malloy-s-approach-to-budget-mess-is-unique-1021817.php#ixzz1EVme7zLX

IS IT 3 MILLION, 4 MILLION, 5 MILLION OR MORE ... YOU HAVE TO VOTE FOR IT BEFORE YOU REALLY KNOW!!!

Douglas Thielen

9 Pheasant Drive,

New Fairfield, CT 06812

[203] 746-4039

e-Mail: Doug1016@aol.com

Letters & Opinions

For the week beginning Monday, February 21, 2011

SHOW US TAXPAYERS THE REAL NEED FOR A NEW LIBRARY!!!

The push by our 1^st Selectman to fast track the construction of a new library should raise serious concerns for us taxpayers. John Hodge made a statement in the News-Times on February 17^th that a library project has been pending for nearly a decade. This is completely false and also very misleading. While it is true that the Library Board has been discussing what to do with the existing building for quite a while, never have they nor the Board of Selectman, nor the Permanent Building Committee, present or past, ever put any library related projects out to bid until a few weeks ago.

Over the years, when questioned about how many patrons actually use the library on a daily basis the Library Board and personnel have not been able to produce any documentation that corroborates their numbers. Why? Because none exist.

First Selectman Hodge is claiming the present building is too small. REALLY? The existing building is 13,000 square feet on two floors while the new building will be 14,000 square feet on one floor without any basement space for storage. “Too small” is obviously a matter of opinion. A new library will cost $2,500,000, but let us not forget the town purchased the property a few years ago with taxpayer’s funds for $575,000. The property cost should also be factored into our tax liability for building a new library, raising the total investment to $3,075,000.

First Selectman Hodge claims the price to renovate the existing building with a 1,000 square foot addition will cost more than $4,000,000. But as Paul Harvey use to say; “Now, for the rest of the story.”  What Hodge failed to tell anyone was that that $4 million dollar “price” was nothing more than the architects budget estimate from 3 years ago and at no time was that project ever let out to bid competitively to contractors in order to get current numbers to present to the taxpayers for their review prior to voting on the project.

The renovation project should have been bid competitively at the same time the new building project was being bid in order to compare both projects side by side in today's market. Who knows, maybe the renovation project would only cost $3,000,000 today, maybe even less, but we will never know.

First Selectman Hodge goes on to state in the News-Times article of February 17^th, “If the voters turn the project down, none of the issues with the current building will go away". This is very true; but it is also very true that those same issues would need to be dealt with once the building is eventually renovated for any other use. First Selectman Hodge wasn't willing to advise what the building renovation costs to us taxpayers will be and there is no surprise there. But, let's assume for the moment that to renovate the existing building, his $4,000,000 plus figure is correct. The taxpayers of New Fairfield should be voting on a complete package so we all know what our total tax liability will be for the next 20 years, not just the half a package we have been shown. So we are now looking at a total cost that we taxpayers must ante up to build a new library of $3,075,000+ and renovate the old library for use by other town departments of $4,000,000+ for a total of $7,075,000 and counting…..

Are you getting dizzy? Hodge’s pea-and-shell game will do that to you.

Please think long and hard about this expensive “It would be nice” project before you cast your vote at the polls.

Doug Thielen

CELL TOWER, CAFE AT THE BEACH, LIBRARY, NEW SCHOOL, AND THE BONDING TREE

Meeting on New Fairfield library plan set for Thursday

John Pirro, Staff Writer

Published: 10:08 p.m., Tuesday, February 15, 2011

NEW FAIRFIELD -- A proposal to build a new public library on town-owned land near the high school will be aired at a town meeting Thursday.

"THIS IS THE LAND OF OZ ... THE STREETS ARE PAVED WITH GOLD
I'VE BEEN PULLING THE WOOL OVER THEIR EYES FOR YEARS"

The meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. in the Community Room of the Senior Center, 33 Route 37. [ALWAYS PICK A TIME MOST INCONVENIENT TO WORKING PEOPLE]

If the session goes as anticipated, residents will be asked to set a date for a town referendum on the $2.5 million project. [HODGE IS THE OFFICIAL TOWN CLERK OF THE WORKS, NOT HAPPY UNLESS HE BUILDING AND SPENDING TAXPAYER MONEY]

The referendum must be held at least seven days, but no more than 14 days, after the town meeting.

Under the proposal, a new 14,000-square-foot library would be built on land the town purchased on Gillotti Road several years ago. [HOW MUCH LARGER WILL THE LIBRARY BE AND WHAT ADDITIONAL SERVICES WILL BE OFFERED?]

"There has been a library project pending for nearly a decade," said First Selectman John Hodge. [REALLY!]

"I think there is a general recognition that something needs to be done. If this gets turned down, none of the issues with the current library will go away." [WHAT ARE THE ISSUES?]

The current library, on Brush Hill Road near the center of town, is too small and lacks handicap access and adequate parking, Hodge said. [HOW MUCH ADDITIONAL CORE LIBRARY SPACE WILL BE ADDED?]

"Improvements are long overdue, but the questions are, `Can we afford it?' and `Is this the right plan?'" Selectman Monika Thiel said. "Only the people can decide, and I encourage everybody who can to come to the meeting."

Hodge said constructing a new facility makes more sense than spending $4 million to build a 1,000-square-foot addition on the existing library and bring it into compliance with the accessibility requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. [TYPICAL SPIN ... $4 MILLION FOR AN ADDITIONAL 1,000 SQUARE FEET]

The town has already obtained bids on for construction, and the $2.5 million cost, which includes a $300,000 contingency fund, is a firm figure, Hodge said. It would be paid with a bond issue. [WHAT'S IT GOING TO COST THE TOWN TO RENOVATE THE EXISTING LIBRARY SPACE FOR ANOTHER SUITABLE PURPOSE ... ADD THAT INTO THE COST OF THE NEW LIBRARY.]

Two companies submitted bids that were within a few thousand dollars of each other, and officials are reviewing them to decide which firm will get the contract if voters eventually approve the project. [IRRELEVANT, NON SEQUITUR, NOT THE ISSUE AT HAND, AND IN THIS ECONOMY ONLY TWO BIDS?]  

Contact John Pirro at jpirro@newstimes.com or 203-731-3342.

Read more: http://www.newstimes.com/default/article/Meeting-on-New-Fairfield-library-plan-set-for-1015248.php#ixzz1E8CTMLXZ

PLOP, PLOP, FIZZ, FIZZ ... OH WHAT A RELIEF IT IS ... OR IS IT?

Days after Gov. Dannel P. Malloy promised to maintain state funding of local schools at current levels, the governor offered municipalities another glimmer of fiscal hope: the possibility of cutting their own education spending if student populations decline.

But the Democratic leader of the state House, touring the Roger Sherman Elementary School in Meriden with Malloy, said he sees little chance the legislature will change state law to allow communities to reduce funding.

"Education is a big priority for us," said House Speaker Christopher Donovan, D-Meriden. "I know towns have some concerns but I don't think there's much support for that at all."

Current spending for public education statewide is about $10.4 billion this year, with municipal property taxes paying 55 percent of the bill, the state 38 percent and federal government 7 percent from mostly one-time stimulus funds.

Earlier this week, Malloy reiterated a pledge he made during the gubernatorial election campaign to maintain school funding at current levels, including the $543 million coming from federal funds that won't be available this year.

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy sits in as teaching assistant Nancy Murray reads Tacky the Penguin to first grade students

Municipalities received that news with relief, but they're looking for more: the ability to cut their own education spending. During the tour at Roger Sherman, Malloy was asked if he would support that request. Though he said he generally supports what's known as the Minimum Budget Requirement, he opened the door to a possible exception.

"The only circumstances under which there should be any waiver of that would be a sizeable reduction of the student body," he said. "But if that's happening then there should be a corresponding reduction in the [state] support as well."

The state already takes student enrollment into account when allocating education aid to cities and towns, but municipalities aren't allowed to do the same. State law requires them to budget at least as much for education each year as they did the year before.

But with local governments facing huge budget problems, and with education accounting for almost 70 percent of municipal spending, the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities is calling for an end to the  requirement.

"Don't prohibit municipalities from reducing property-tax funded appropriations due to declining school enrollments and other factors that reduce the cost of delivering education services," reads CCM's legislative agenda.

The Council of Small Towns also supports throwing out the MBR.

"Given the economic tsunami that is coming, towns ought to have the flexibility to make improvements that will yield some savings," said Bart Russell, executive director of COST. "With this new economic reality towns need to have some tools."

Student enrollment in some towns has declined significantly in the last five years--in Meriden by 6 percent, New Britain by 7 percent and Bridgeport by 9 percent--but the local governments have been unable to reduce their spending.

"In an era in which governments are looking for budget efficiencies, the MBR is an anachroism," the CCM agenda says. "In an era of limits, with frozen (or reduced) aid and rising costs, this is patently unfair. It means every other local service  and every other local employee must pay the price for the State's mandate."

But local school officials support the minimum spending requirement, saying it protects education.

Superintendent of Meriden Public Schools Mark Benigni has been on both sides of the debate, having served as mayor for 6 years before becoming the superintendent.

He said his position has always been the required amount of spending is a good thing.

"We definitely need that. Without that schools would be at-risk of major cuts," he said.

Several state legislators have proposed tying the budget requirement to student enrollment and savings realized or eliminating it if state or federal funding declines.

Robert A. Frahm contributed to this story.

CONFUSED BY THE CON, PARK & WRECK, AND SLIGHT OF HAND(S)

Hi Everyone, 

Today I went on the website and thought I should check on the minutes.  Up pops a referendum in regards to an extension on the restaurant bid.  Sad to say that this was posted Monday the 7th.  This means that Park and Rec were well aware of this and withheld information.  Or maybe they just felt we didn't need to know, just like it seems most of this have been going.  The gentleman who also sent out that email under falsesaltyydog@yahoo.com , and claimed our town beach is a dump, lets do something about it and never signed off on his email, is actually someone who volunteers on Park and Rec and is on the committee.  We now know that Park and Rec is for this restaurant which makes it just a little harder for us to shoot it down. My husband dropped by today once we found out about the bid and approached Hodge and a few people on the Park and Rec committee.  They actually stated that they never said that the planned restaurant proposal was dismissed for now.  Something is going on here and I am not quite able to bring this puzzle together.  Steve Merullo my husband spoke with also,  and said that Brunos was a prospect for this, so why then were no bid offers sent in today. Hopefully this won't go to a vote and waste  $5 grand to set voting machines up.  If this goes in the works we have to vote this down.  

Having 4 kids myself things can get crazy in my household.  I would extremely appreciate it if anyone hears any information going around or something I missed in the papers to please let me know.  

My husband and I have researched the minutes to try and obtain information.  Apparently the boat slips bring in $161,000 each year and this money apparently goes towards fields.  For what?  I know NF Baseball maintains all of their fields.  NF Soccer is out their drawing in their lines on Saturday mornings, fixing curtain drains themselves, so if anyone knows what exactly we have done on the fields other then mowing and maintenance, please let me know. I can't understand why some of that money can't go towards fixing up some issues at our beach.  We are apparently 10,000 in the hole as  Mr. Hodge claims and the Citizen News stated in the article last week (front page).  Linda Lull and several others claim this is inaccurate but are not willing to tell us numbers.  I am very confused about how things are run in this town .  If you have any information please pass it one to me.

For the people who were at the meeting last Monday night, when they claimed that this was an idea just to see if we get any takers and knew nothing about the cost of the plans, well on the parks and rec meeting on January 10,2011 they brought up in the minutes stated that "THE RENOVATIONS WILL COST BETWEEN $50-200K AND THERE ARE INTERESTED PARTIES.  SEED MONEY IS NEEDED (APPROX $1200-$3600 DEPENDING ON AREA MAPPED OUT IN PLAN)TO HAVE SITE PLANS DRAWN UP.

MEETING ON WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 17, 2010 THE COMMISSION DISCUSSED PURCHASING JET SKI FLOATS AND CHARGING APPROXIMATELY $750. TO RENT SLIPS.  PARK AND REC WOULD USE THE DOCK FUND TO PAY FOR THESE.  THE COMMISSION REVIEWED BEACH HOUSE PLANS AND PUT TOGETHER A LIST OF ISSUES.  

Funny how we can utilize DOCK FUND PAY for other things.  Where will these slips go and where is this list of issues.  Nobody seems to know about this list.  

This is all accurate info taken straight off the minutes at Town Hall.  

Thanks to several people catching the bid in the Citizen News and informing me.  This is going to be thought out very carefully in regards to initiating this proposal again.  They will pick the most inopportune time, so watch out carefully.  I was told by numerous people not to trust Mr. Hodge and now I can see why sad to say. 

Sincerely,

THIS WAS AN E-MAIL, BUT THE NAME HAS BEEN WITHHELD ... TO PROTECT THE INNOCENT AND HER FAMILY AND CHILDREN