Budget Referendum For West Hartford

Published May 23, 2010 at 6:52 p.m.

The West Hartford Taxpayers Association had a small army of citizens out gathering signatures, and they claimed that people couldn't sign the petitions fast enough, despite an effort put out by WHFirst to pass out leaflets asking people to refrain from signing and to "support the schools".

The Town Clerk verified that the WHTA gathered more signatures than the required 6 percent of registered voters. The actual number of signatures needed was 2,295 and the Town Clerk certified 2,405 names, with about 400 more names on sheets that hadn't been verified because they weren't needed.

So there will be a referendum in June on the $216.7 million budget passed in April by the town council. The budget would inflict another tax increase; this time 2.24%, on West Hartford taxpayers.

The Courant reported that a referendum will cost taxpayers about $40,000.

Since the number of registered voters in West Hartford is somewhere around 38,250 (because 6 percent of that is 2,295; the number of signatures needed) - that means the cost of having a referendum is roughly $1.00 per voter! Many in town would gladly pay $1.00 to vote to keep their taxes from going up yet again!

The WHTA contends that the $121 million school portion of the budget needs further trimming, including discretionary spending, operating expenses, and salaries and pensions, especially in light of dismal finances predicted for the 2011-12 fiscal year for the town and state. They say that further prudent cuts now will go a long way, and are necessary to prepare for more than $10 million in revenue shortages the town likely will face next year. The Mayor complains that WHTA is demanding "a pound of flesh from the School Board" even though he himself has admitted (sources say) that the Board's budget has been too high. He has gone several times to beg the School Board to rein in their spending. He is hoping that they will make bigger cuts next year. We cannot build budgets on hope.

WHFirst is claiming that this is only a "modest increase" in taxes - the WHTA says that BOE spending has risen 4.3% this year alone, and 61% over the past 10 years! These continual "modest increases" add up, and the WHTA is saying that the Town and the BOE must look to the future and control this growth now. The mentality of "spend as you go" is unsustainable.

WHFirst is also saying that this was a budget with bi-partisan support - so even the "Republican" who turned Democrat, and other Republicans voted for it. The WHTA says that they are not a partisan organization, so partisan or non-partisan voting is not at issue here: spending and taxation is.

WHFirst claims that with the budget in the last two years, we have had elementary classrooms with 28 kids, lost some of the world language program, reduced textbook and supply budgets, and lost vacuum leaf collection. Now with this budget they claim lost positions, higher fees, cuts in traffic system projects, reduced number of school buses, and a one day shorter school year. Yawn. The fact is that even after the Mayor pleaded with the Board of Education to cut expenses the BOE still came back with a mere $24,000 in cuts from a record $127 Million budget - that's a whopping .002% Reduction! Meanwhile, on the Town side we have seen some real effort and streamlining of expenses. The Townside even gave up $825,000 of Blue Back settlement money to help fund the school budget; money which should have gone to reduce Town debt.

WHFirst neglects to talk about the tens of thousands of dollars put aside as "discretionary school spending" and the money the school system is losing on Pre-school and Open Choice programs...They neglect to talk about the upcoming loss of stimulus money, and ways in which the Board of Education should be proactive in preparing for that loss of funding next year.

While it is reported that there were 27 jobs "cut" from the schools and five from the town, most jobs were already vacant, or are budgeted for and not yet filled, and there would be only some real layoffs.

Support the schools - Sure - but the Board of Education must do as the Mayor and Town Manager requested initially, and have continued to request, and that is for the Board of Education to make some really meaningful programming and policy changes that will insure that self sustaining programs are in fact self sustaining and that expenses in all areas of their budget are brought under control.

With 8% unemployment in town and record number of foreclosures, everyone must tighten their belts, including the Board of Education.

So far, 2,800+ voters in town who signed petitions agree that more taxes are unacceptable.

No doubt this debate will rage until referendum day.
Let's keep it civil folks.


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