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Joan Coe
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Platinum Board Member

Posts: 141

Budget Hearing -Operating Budgets - 2008/05/07 08:40 Budget Hearing – May 6, 2008

This year we the people are feeling the financial crunch of higher costs of energy, food, clothing, medical, prescription drugs, gas etc on our daily budget. The interest on bank savings is not keeping up with inflation. The stock markets and the bond markets are imploding on a daily basis. Our 401k is now less than 101k. Our homes have depreciated in value. If people have jobs they are concerned that they might have their jobs eliminated and many have lived on fixed incomes for years. We the people do not have control of many outside forces but the 3.73% that we are being asked to pay for town and educational services are excessive.. When budgets are tight at home most people start cutting discretionary purchases. However, town budgets never reflect the economic reality that we have to do with less, not more.

According to town key indicators, the average of the 10 year operating budgets ( 1999-2009) for the board of selectman increased 4.63%, the board of education budget increased 5.85% with a reduction in enrollment. Last year the BOS budget increased 6.10% and the BOE budget increased 5.07% with declining enrollment. How can budgets increase at this rate year after year? It appears to me that we the people have been overtaxed over the years and this year is no different. Many residents are on fixed income, many people have not had raises in years, including town employees and many residents are losing their jobs due to downsizing. What happened to the interest on the money ($575,309) in the employee salary account for three years? How does this affect the town’s bond rating? Now is not the time to increase spending, Farmington has recently said no, now it is time for Simsbury residents to vote no on increased budget creep.

We the people should mandate that our elected officials find ways to increase revenues.

I recently asked Rep. Linda Schofield why boats and airplanes are not included in property taxes. The response was that owners of planes pay $90 for weighing less than 3,000 pounds to $2,500 for planes weighing more than 12,000 pounds in registration fess and planes manufactured before 1946 pay the statutory registration fee or $100, whichever is less and the exemption was to encourage more planes to come to and be kept in the state. As for boats, they register and pay $7.50 for boats less than 12 feet to $525 for boats that are 65 feet and over. This loophole should be closed. According to this letter, Vermont taxes both boats and planes, why not Connecticut?. These sweetheart deals should be eliminated. Simsbury would be the beneficiary of these property taxes.

Recently in The Hartford Courant there was an article about the towns recovering money in lieu of taxes from the state for tax-exempt schools. Simsbury has Ethel Walker School, Westminster School, Masters School and St. Mary’s School. All these schools and all their homes contiguous to the schools are tax exempt. Simsbury was not on the list. Why? Has First Selectman Mary Glassman asked for the money?

Why do kindergarten children need $1,300 laptop computers and why do we need so many smart boards? Computers should not take the place of interaction between the teachers and the students. If there is a choice between teachers and computers, employing teachers is a no-brainer? How does the BOE justify over $80,000 in Conference Workshops? Does this include trips to China and Finland? Are any other foreign countries in the horizon for visits from the BOE? What benefit to the children’s educational experience is derived from excursions by the BOE to foreign countries? How does the BOS justify spending over $50,000 on Economic Development with money going towards Main Street Partnership, a non-profit organization? Why are the taxpayers being told that the Simsbury Farms Special Revenue Fund is self-sufficient when all the Capital Expenditures are off budget? There are many expenditures that can be cut from the BOS and BOE budgets. It is time to reduce spending which is in keeping with what every citizen is doing in times when every penny counts.

We the people can control our own budgets and eliminate discretionary expenditures in a time of uncertainty, why should the town budget not reflect the same mentality? We can no longer have a tax and spend mentality. It is time to say no.