Joan Coe
User
Platinum Board Member
| Posts: 151 |   |
|
Board of Finance Hearing - August 15, 2006 - 2006/08/16 07:51
Board of Finance - August 15, 2006
Before this board decides to impoverish the taxpayers with a $13.5 million dollar encumbrance, as policy makers this board should get a copy of the tape of the Board of Finance meeting where Bond Counsel read the riot act to the Board of Finance on the implications of voting for a $110 million high school. They told the board that you were elected to make the decisions, not based on political expediency but the future implications of your vote. They told the board as did Kevin Kane in his letter to the Board of Finance that all Capital Expenditures would have to wait for years until the town was able to absorb the financial implications. The $110 million high school was not forwarded to Referendum. In a letter written to the Finance Board, Kevin Kane, Director of Finance stated, “if the town does approve the purchase of development rights for the Ethel Walker property the Debt Policy of no more than 7% will not be adhered to at a minimum for four fiscal years from, 2008 through 2011. In order to get back to debt service of no more than 7% the Board of Finance will have to have a moratorium of no capital projects for the fiscal year 2007/08 along with fiscal years 2008/09 and 2009/10.” That would mean NO NEW PROJECTS!!! Recently there was an article in The Hartford Courant about an Ethel Walker alumni donating money for an Observatory. There are many deep pockets from alumni and present student body parents who could contribute this amount to save the woods. Where they asked to contribute? The financial burden of this project should not be placed on the taxpayers but should come from the Ethel Walker alumni. It is the responsibility of the Ethel Walker School to save the woods not the taxpayers of Simsbury.
The Ethel Walker School is part of our community and has a much responsibility for contaminated wells on their property as does Culbro, with their farmland. Clean up for contaminated wells are paid for by the responsible party, not the taxpayers of Simsbury. Culbro paid for public water to homes with contaminated wells. It should be noted that the Connecticut Department of Public Health Regulatory Report in 2005 stated that,” the public water sys tem at the Ethel Walker School is in violation of monitoring and/or reporting violation for annual nitrate and nitrate testing,” dated 7/6/05. Does the town have any documentation about the nitrate levels at the Ethel Walker School public water supply? Who would be responsible for nitrate contamination?
This board has the fiduciary responsibility to maintain the debt policy of 7 % that was wholeheartedly supported by this board. High taxes have grave implications on residential properties. Simsbury already has the highest taxes in the Valley. We cannot compete in the housing market or in the business community with high taxes. Many projects in the 10 year Capital expenditure plan would be eliminated. It is the Board of Finance who must make the final decision on this property. This project should be denied because it is not in our Capital Plan, it is not available for funding as farmland and it is not fiscally responsible to incur more debt. It may be politically expedient but it is not being fiscally responsible. The taxpayers of Simsbury voted for you to make the hard decisions to protect the town’s debt policy. This project should not go to referendum.
|
Specter (1116)