ENFIELD TOWN COUNCIL
MINUTES OF A PUBLIC HEARING
APRIL 28, 2010
A Public Hearing was held at the Enrico Fermi High School, 124 North Maple Street, Enfield, Connecticut on Wednesday, April 28, 2010. The Public Hearing was called to order by Chairman Kaupin at 7:02 p.m.
ROLL-CALL – Present from the Enfield Town Council were Councilmen Crowley, Edgar, Hall, Kaupin, Kiner, Lee, Mangini and Nelson. Councilman Bosco entered at 7:25 p.m. Councilmen Dumont and Keller were absent. Also present were Town Manager, Matthew Coppler; Town Clerk, Suzanne Olechnicki; Director of Finance, Lynn Nenni
Present from the Enfield Board of Education were Judith Apruzzese-Desroches, Joyce Hall, Tom Sirard, Gregory Stokes, Donna Szewczak and Stacy Thurston. Vincent Grady, Charles Johnson and Peter Jonaitis were absent. Also present were Superintendent of Schools, Dr. John Gallacher and Business Manager, Chris Chemerka
Chairman Kaupin read the legal notice of Public Hearing which was published in the Hartford Courant on April 16, 2010 as follows:
TOWN OF ENFIELD
LEGAL NOTICE
PUBLIC HEARING
PROPOSED BUDGET FY 2010-2011
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 28, 2010
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the TOWN OF ENFIELD shall hold a PUBLIC HEARING on the Proposed Annual Operating and Capital Budget for the Fiscal Year July 1, 2010 to June 30, 2011. The Public Hearing shall be Wednesday, April 28, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. at Enrico Fermi High School Auditorium, 124 North Maple Street, Enfield, CT. All electors and taxpayers will be provided an opportunity to express their opinions and further give written and/or oral comment regarding the proposed budget.
Also, in accordance with Chapter VI, Section 4 of the Town Charter, along with the Notice of Public Hearing a summary of the proposed expenditures and revenues, as well as the amount to be raised by taxation was published, and that this summary can be found starting on Page 2.
At the Regular Meeting of the Town Council on Monday, March 15, 2010, Resolution #800 was adopted establishing the conduct for this hearing. The resolution is as follows:
RESOLVED, that the Town Council of the Town of Enfield values the opinions and comments of its constituents; and
WHEREAS, in accordance with Chapter VI, Section 4, of the Enfield Town Charter, any elector or taxpayer may have an opportunity to be heard regarding appropriations for the ensuing fiscal year and for the purpose of being heard on issues of vital community importance and concern; and
WHEREAS, the Town Council shall conduct a public hearing at Enrico Fermi High School Auditorium, 124 North Maple Street, Wednesday, April 28, 2010 at 7:00 p.m.;
RESOLVED, that the order of business for the 2010-2011 Budget Hearing be arranged as follows:
1. Presentation of the Town Manager’s Budget
2. The Chairman of the Board of Education highlights education budget.
3. Comments from members of the public for the first time.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that each speaker be requested to register with the Town Clerk his name and address and that no speaker be allowed to speak more than five minutes each successive time the speaker’s name is called; additionally, any speaker who has not registered with the Town Clerk will be allowed to speak only after those who have registered no longer wish to speak.
PRESENTATION OF THE TOWN MANAGER’S BUDGET
Mr. Coppler stated the biggest unknown regarding the budget has to do with what the State of Connecticut will be doing in terms of funding for the upcoming year. He noted they may not know the full extent of what the State will do until after the Town adopts its budget.
He noted the Town is experiencing a decrease of State aide for non-school programs, and it amounts to about $600,000 over what the current budget year calls for. He stated in the upcoming budget, they will not be counting approximately $825,000 worth of school-related funding. He explained in previous years they showed that as revenue, however, in the upcoming budget they will not be showing that as revenue. He noted that will be a pool of money that the Board of Education will be able to pull from should they have overages in their budget.
Mr. Coppler stated the grand list went up by a little over $29 million dollars, and revenue-wise this means the Town is seeing about $600,000 in revenue that they didn’t see in the current year’s budget.
He then spoke about the expenditure side. He noted in the upcoming year, they have a reduction in what the Town pays for debt service cost, principle and interest. He explained some of the bonds are coming off the books, and this will save a little over a million dollars. He noted at the same time, last year the Town took action to do a refunding on some of the outstanding debt and that saved an additional $500,000 for the upcoming budget. He stated in years out there will be other savings, but not as significant as what they will be able to achieve in this upcoming year.
Mr. Coppler stated the Town also experienced a reduction in the pension cost. He noted the stock market has been performing well, therefore, pension funds are performing well, and as a result, the amount of money that the Town has to put into the pension fund for the upcoming year has been reduced.
He stated they’re experiencing approximately a 7% increase in health insurance costs. He noted when they first started the budget process, they budgeted about 15%, but that has come down due to the work with their insurance consultants and staff to bring this under control.
Mr. Coppler stated general fund revenues are broken out by four different types. He noted the largest type is the taxes, which makes up 67% of the overall general fund revenue. He stated the next biggest type is the intergovernmental revenues, and these are monies received from the Federal and State government, primarily the State government. He noted that is almost a third of their total revenues for the upcoming year. He stated this amounts to approximately $32 million dollars. He noted unfortunately, that does put the Town at risk. He explained if the State does take action to reduce funding, the Town will be seeing that impact. He noted they have not heard of dramatic decreases for the upcoming year, but it’s believed the State will have significant shortfalls in Fiscal Year 2012 because of their use of one-time funding mechanisms for the current budget as well as money received through the stimulus.
He stated about 2% of the Town’s budget is made up of “Other”, and this has to do with user fees, licenses, i.e., building permit fees or planning fees.
Mr. Coppler stated the remaining 2% is Fund Balance, and in this year’s budget they’re calling for an approximate use of $2.5 million dollars.
He stated overall, they are looking at a budget that balances at $112,815,804, and this is approximately a 2.8% decrease over the current budget, which is approximately $116 million dollars. He noted the Town side of the budget is dropping by 6.2%, while the school budget is being level funded at $62.7 million dollars.
Mr. Coppler stated the Town’s approximately $50 million dollars is being split up as follows with the most expensive listed first:
- General Government includes administrative staff, transfers and debt service
- Public Works includes Highway, Public Works Administration, Solid Waste, etc.
- Public Safety includes the Police Department and the Communications Dept.
- Library
- Development Services includes Planning, Building, Economic and Community Development
Mr. Coppler stated the budget isn’t made up of just the General Fund. He noted there are also service funds as follows:
· EMS - $2.6 million dollar budget
· Water Pollution Control facility - $2.6 million dollar budget
· Social Services - $4.7 million dollar budget
· Information Technology - $3.2 million dollar budget
He referred to Information Technology and noted the main part of this increase relates to capital improvements they’ve been making to the school system with laptops for the teachers and the schools’ infrastructure for IT. He noted for the Town and School sides, they also invested in a new financial software package.
As concerns the mill rate impact, Mr. Coppler stated right now the proposed budget keeps the mill rate flat at 23.88. He noted if they were to fund the gap to keep the same expenditure level as what they have in the current year, they’d have to increase approximately 4.4% up to 24.93. He stated if they were only to fund the request the school submitted, that would go up to 24.13, which is a little over a 1% increase. He noted if they did it for both the deficit and the school request, it would be a little over a 5.4% increase.
Mr. Coppler stated in order to close the deficit, they propose the following:
· Flat fund the school budget
· Eliminate approximately 25 Town positions
· Propose the elimination of annual curbside leaf collection
· Reduce funding for outside agencies through Social Services
· Eliminate funding for school crossing guards
· Reduce services within the framework of Social Services
He stated since 2008, the Town has not increased the mill rate. He noted the budget grew 3.8% in 2008 and 2.4% in 2009. He stated the mill rate remained the same for the current year, and the budget decreased by 1.9%. He noted intergovernmental revenues went down, and they started relying more heavily on the fund balance.
Mr. Coppler stated for this year, the mill rate proposal is the same, and they reduced the overall budget by 2.8% and their non-tax revenue is declining by 9%. He noted again, the Town will be relying on $2.5 million dollars of fund balance. He pointed out the undesignated fund balance should be at between 9% and 11%. He stated if they spend every dollar in the proposed budget, the fund balance would be at a little less than 9%.
He stated when a town sees that revenues are declining, there are only a few options:
· Increase the tax revenue at the local level
· Decrease the cost structure
· A combination of these two
He noted the Town Council will have to decide which path to take to have a balanced budget.
PRESENTATION OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION BUDGET
Mr. Stokes stated a joint committee has been set up between the Town Council and Board of Education. He explained this is a strategic planning committee that is looking at the reconfiguration of the school system so that things can be run more efficiently.
He stated the Board of Education is asking for a 1.24% increase, and that amounts to $776,264 over current numbers that they’re spending. He noted current operational expenditures are at $62 million dollars, and they’re looking for a little over $63 million dollars for the next operating year.
Mr. Stokes noted the 1.24% increase does not get the Board of Education to where they’re operating now, but they understand the economic climate. He stated his personal philosophy is that they have to face the challenges and reality and begin to adjust the system to match what’s coming.
He stated about 85% of the Board of Education budget goes toward salaries and benefits. He went on to note student transportation amount to about 5%; special education amounts to 2.3%; technology amounts to 1.7% and 6.8% relates to supplies, athletics, administrative costs, etc.
Mr. Stokes spoke about staffing and noted at this time they’re facing contractual agreement increases ranging from 2.6% to 8.76% based upon where people are on the raises and the step increases. He pointed out they have one year remaining in the contact with the teachers’ union, and they will begin negotiation for that contract this summer.
He noted they did negotiate the administrative union contract, however, they hit an impasse and went to binding arbitration. He stated binding arbitration gave them a 0% general wage increase for next year and just a small step increase, and this helped tremendously.
Mr. Stokes stated there are increases in health and dental insurance, payroll taxes, unemployment compensation and workers’ compensation. He went on to note there’s a 3% increase in the upcoming bus contract. He noted it was necessary to add two buses to cover the increase in magnet schools and parochial schools. He stated each bus costs between $35,000 and $40,000. He noted there’s been a 58% increase in diesel and gasoline fuel. He stated they were paying about $1.88 per gallon because a couple years ago the Town signed into an agreement to lock in on a price, and they’ve been able to do well the past couple years. He noted that is coming to an end, and they expect the per gallon price to go up to about $2.72 per gallon.
He stated the special education budget is approximately $11.3 million dollars, or 18% of the current budget. He noted there are 883 special education students in the district, and 50 of the students are out-placed students. He stated there are 130 students with 504 programs. He explained these are things the Board of Education has to do to take care of a student with a special need of some sort. He noted occupational therapy is on the increase, and that can be very costly. He pointed out the district has 20 more students this year than last year that need occupational therapy.
Mr. Stokes stated there are technology increases due to lease agreements, new projects, reductions in prior year capital funding, etc.
He noted supplies go up as well. He pointed out last year they were able to pay for a lot of their supplies through stimulus money. He noted as the stimulus money goes away, they will have to put those items back into the general budget. He stated these items are not add-ons or extras, but simply that they were able to supplant some of those monies.
He noted legal fees will go up because larger unions will be in negotiations. He stated unfunded mandates are also an issue, and they’ve asked the state to hold off on any new unfunded mandates. He noted last year they implemented “play to participate”, and they estimated about $175,000 revenue to help the budget, and they received only about $100,000, therefore, they’re short in this area.
Mr. Stokes stated one area that has increased the most relates to magnet schools. He noted magnet school cost is up by about 35%. He stated at this time, the district pays $626,000 for students being placed in other districts. He noted special education money follows the student.
He concluded stating the Board of Education asks the Council consider a 1.24% increase.
PUBLIC COMMENTS
William Gallagher, 17 Carmela Terrace
Submitted a petition consisting of 500 signatures. He noted this petition is urging the Town maintain its hours of operation at the senior center. He pointed out the senior center provides much needed assistance through interactive relationships and programs, some of which include Medicare assistance, tax preparation, health clinics, fitness programs, ethnic conversation groups, daily social gatherings, etc.
Mr. Gallagher urged the Town support the senior center budget. He invited the Town Council to visit the senior center to better understand its value today and in the future.
Jack Sheridan, 7 Buchanan Road
Explained where he gets his per pupil expenditure figure. He referred to the Town’s “Comprehensive Annual Financial Report” and the total education cost of $88,234,000. He stated by dividing this figure by 6,082 students, it’s $14,500 per student. He noted this includes special education students.
Mr. Sheridan referred to the CIP budget and noted the Council supported $150,000 in 2008-2009 for textbooks, $150,000 for computers and $90,000 for musical instruments. He stated in 2009-2010, there was $100,000 for textbooks and $235,000 for science labs for a total of $335,000. He stated on the school side, he has purchase orders cut for textbooks in 2007-2008 and that figure was $35,000; in 2008-2009, $30,000; in 2009-2010, $18,962 as of April 5, 2010. He emphasized most of the money for textbooks came from Town Council allocations.
He stated in 2008-2009, the Council also appropriated $340,000 in special revenue funds for special education and grant writing.
Mr. Sheridan stated last year a total of $845,000 was spent on substitute teachers, and he believes this is outrageous.
He went on to note businesses would have a big impact if there were to be an increase in taxes. As an example, he referred to Mass Mutual, which is a good company that employs a lot of people. He noted a 1.3 mill increase would cause Mass Mutual’s taxes to go up by $65,819. He pointed out not only do taxes go up on individual homes, but those taxes also go up on businesses. He stated such increases could cause businesses to leave town.
Mr. Sheridan stated in 2009-2010, there were 200 fewer students and in the last ten years, enrollment went down by 800 students. He noted it’s time to cut staff.
Mr. Sheridan stated the MBR law required towns had to at least level fund education each year. He noted if the school population goes down, and the town’s revenue goes down, they still have to level fund education. He stated it’s fortunate that recently it was decided towns did not have to maintain the MBR, and they can actually cut by $3,000 for each student not enrolled.
He stated he finds it obvious that concessions are a great alternative to layoffs.
Robert Tkacz, 150 Bernadino Avenue
Voiced his support of the Town Manager’s budget. He stated in 1969, there were 13,300 students with 650 instructors, and this is a 20 to 1 ratio. He noted at this time they’re running at an 11 to 1 ratio. He stated in 1969, they were doing very well in test scores with that student/teacher ratio. He referred to Bloomfield where there are a little over 2,000 students, and they’re budget is a little less than $40 million dollars, which amounts to about $18,000 per student, but their performance is at the bottom of the list. He noted Enfield is about halfway on the list, therefore, this town is doing pretty well.
Mr. Tkacz stated his hope the Town Council will look at the school crossing guards and reorganize that system.
Margaret Jedziniak, 232 Abbe Road
Stated her belief it isn’t the money, but rather the accountability of this system that counts. She stated her belief parents should pay more attention to what is being taught and if the money is being used to benefit the students’ education. She noted it seems books have not been a priority for awhile. She stated her understanding the school system has a reading program costing $200,000, and it’s not being used. She noted there are six reading specialists in the system at sizeable salaries.
Ms. Jedziniak questioned how many times will the School Department talk about redistricting the system and not do anything about it. She noted there isn’t one classroom at the kindergarten, second or fifth grades levels at any of the nine schools that have more than 24.5 pupils enrolled.
She stated her impression the guidance counselor department is top heavy with a price tag of $666,000.
Ms. Jedziniak stated a petition being taken in favor of more money for the education budget is not a legal document. She noted parents should spend that time seeing that the school administrators complete the redistricting, which would allow for the closing of a school and free up dollars for educational programs.
Ms. Jedziniak stated the School Department should also provide requested documents to the public in a timely fashion.
Marilyn and Thomas Tyler, 18 Bridge Lane
Mr. Tyler spoke about the proposal to eliminate Town Engineers. He noted he and his wife believe this idea is ill-conceived and ill-planned. He pointed out the Town Engineers have been four long-time professionals who have served with dignity, professionalism and reliability over the years. He stated most of the Town’s engineers are long-time residents of Enfield, and they’ve been contributing to the community for their entire lives.
Mr. Tyler stated whenever anyone visits the Engineering Department, someone is present to provide answers. He noted engineers deal in finite answers and absolute numbers, and he likes that rather than a meaningless opinion.
He noted he learned it’s proposed replacing Town engineers with contracted services for outside people. He stated there’s an agreement between the Town and Malone and McBroom dated March 15th that recites the charges and hourly fee schedule for engineering services. He pointed out the charge ranges from $175 per hour down to $75 per hour. He stated survey rates go up to $155 per hour. He pointed out that when he looked at what Town engineers are being paid, he was struck by what a bargain the Town has had all these years. He stated he figures the Town engineers don’t cost one-third of the cost of using outside consultants.
Mr. Tyler stated he questioned whether much thought was given to the process of getting outside consultants, and he also questioned how this happened. He noted he didn’t see anything in the newspaper about the process of how such a big change came about. He questioned if there’s a policy with regard to revolving doors or double-dipping because they have people that are involved and participate in a high level process of selecting these outside consultants. He noted they should be sure they don’t wind up with a revolving door of negotiating for the town, hiring them, then leaving the town and taking a position with them and then coming back and working in some capacity that they’ve in fact negotiated on the other side. He suggested if there isn’t a revolving-door policy, perhaps the town should have such a policy. He pointed out he’s not opposed to someone double-dipping as long as everyone knows that person is getting paid twice for a particular job.
He stated the outside consultants won’t replace the Town engineers in terms of cost effectiveness. He noted it appears to him it will be more expensive and not less expensive. He stated he also considered all those things the Town engineers do as part of their everyday tasks. He noted if the Engineering Department doesn’t exist, where do citizens go to get answers to questions. He pointed out constituents call the Town or Town Council with regards to an easement question, building inspection, a certificate of occupancy issue, a sidewalk defect issue, a right-of-way determination, or a drainage problem. He questioned who will these constituents be referred to in order to get answers to their questions.
Mr. Tyler stated he knows that the Town Engineers provide a lot of assistance and direction for the Planning & Zoning Commission, Inland/Wetlands, building permit applications, plot plan review and even public information meetings.
He pointed out although he is a lawyer, he doesn’t represent any of these people, however, he only knows them professionally through going to the Engineering Department and being treated with dignity and respect every time he has visited that office.
Mr. Tyler stated in the past year, he feels the Engineering Department received a bad rap. He noted he observed a couple things with regard to Planning & Zoning. He stated when the Town Planner asks the Engineer a question, many times the question is misstated or mischaracterized, and the Engineer gets the wrong question, answers it correctly, but when it gets back to Planning & Zoning, it’s actually the answer to the wrong question. He pointed out when he has seen this, he has actually corrected it himself by getting copies of documents and giving them to Planning & Zoning to set the record straight. He stated his belief the engineers have been blamed for some things that have not been their fault.
He concluded stating his belief such a transition will be drastic and not more cost effective. He noted it will be less transparent, and there will be less accountability. He recommended reconsidering this by either putting this back in the budget completely or temporarily so that they can have some kind of feasibility study to figure out how they can address the issues he raised this evening.
Joseph Saroce, 10 Briarwood Drive
Referred to the budget book and three items, “Stipends”, “Other Objects” and “Overtime”. He noted the stipends are only for three areas – EMT and other and a couple code 80-20’s. He stated that cost came to $136,132 and last year they bid out $292,000 in stipends. He noted these stipends are for senior people, and he’d rather the town take them to lunch because it’s a lot less expensive.
Mr. Saroce stated “Other Objects” came to $121,331 and “Overtime” came to $885,979 for this year. He stated his belief something has to be done about this. He pointed out the total cost for all three items came to $1,143,442.
Frank Wood, 31 Glendale Road
Stated Enfield has become the victim of power politics not experienced since 1995. He noted the leadership of Enfield constitutes a veritable hall of shame. He went on to list the recent actions that qualify them for this dishonor:
The leadership of the Republican Town Committee for cynically using the poor economy to convince the electorate that they can’t afford a modest tax increase by making a zero tax increase the principle plank in their political platform. As a minority party, they have created a position which appeals to most segments of the voting public, particularly those whose only concern is in minimizing their taxes.
The Town Council qualifies for insisting on a flat-funded education budget in the face of increasing costs. He’s thankful for the Minimum Budget Requirement as mandated by the State, or the Council would chisel away at that funding also. Further, the Council is holding the education budget hostage to the Board of Education’s inability to close a school effectively saying, “We won’t help you until you help yourself. What the Council is doing is a mirror image of current events in Washington, which the Council majority most likely deplores, but it’s the same politics – “we have votes, so we’re going to do whatever we have to do to insure our reelection”.
The Board of Education qualifies for not fulfilling its primary responsibility, that of being a vigorous advocate for education. Rather than seriously considering the Superintendent’s recommended budget, they simply rejected it out of hand and instructed him to return with a budget $1.5 million dollars lower than he proposed. It has behaved more like a finance committee than a Board of Education. The Board has known for a long time that they need to close at least one elementary school. They’ve used one excuse after another to avoid pulling the trigger on that issue thereby playing into the hands of the Council.
The Enfield Teachers’ Association leadership qualifies for preventing its members from voting on a salary freeze. This also plays into the hands of the Board and the Council allowing them to point to the intransigence of the ETA proving the need for flat funding the budget.
Mr. Wood stated many people of his generation qualify. He noted he is embarrassed by their hypocrisy when they say they support education, but are unwilling to pay for it. He stated 35 years ago at a meeting similar to this, those people were the contingent calling for more spending on education.
He stated the Town Manager qualifies for proposing the elimination of the last vestige of budget responsibility by taking education to flat funding and compounding that by jeopardizing student safety by eliminating crossing guards. To add insult to injury, he proposes adding two officers to the police department. The police are already ubiquitous in Enfield.
Mr. Wood stated Enfield’s educational system is squeezed in the grip of seemingly intractable political positions. He stated two things can be done to reach a reasonable compromise – increase the education budget by 3.64% as the Superintendent recommended to allow the school system to operate with some degree of normalcy for 2010-2011 and act as a bridge to 2011-2012 and require the Board of Education to instruct the Superintendent and his professional staff to recommend school closings and redistricting to provide an orderly footprint reduction with associated adjustments as needed for school opening in the fall of 2011.
He stated his belief the Town has already cut through the muscle of education and have begun to chip away at the bone. He noted they can continue to starve education as has been the case, but eventually they won’t even be doing it.
Thomas Donahue, 18 Celtic Court
Thanked Frank Wood for his words, and he believes Mr. Wood’s comments echo the sentiment of a lot of parents and people in town in that right now it’s a political game rather than doing what’s right for the school system.
Mr. Donahue stated his belief no one has looked at the impact of proposed cost cuts to the Town and School systems.
He referred to outsourcing engineering needs and questioned how many hours of outsourcing will the Town get for the same budget for those engineers they propose laying off. He questioned what the loss of service will be if there are no employees in the Planning and Engineering Department for the review of new applications. He questioned how many people will end up going to a neighboring town where they can get service for their project.
Mr. Donahue referred to the elimination of crossing guards and noted he was present at the meeting where the Town Manager proposed this. He stated after the meeting he asked if this could be done and was told the Town is legally able to do this. He questioned if the Town should do this morally. He noted the Town Council will have the ultimate vote. He questioned if one child gets hurt because crossing guards were eliminated, would they be able to live with that on their conscience.
Mr. Donahue stated his belief a modest increase in the Town budget after so many years of no increase isn’t going to cause a business to move out of town. He acknowledged people on a fixed income will have a tougher time adjusting to it, but the Town has had a few years of no budget increase with costs increasing drastically. He suggested they put a little reality into what’s being done and not live with the mantra “zero increase” and figure out what can be done to get there.
He stated with all the cuts done in the past few years, the Town is probably past the point of cutting and being able to run the Town and School systems effectively. He noted the committee going on right now between the Town Council and Board of Education to look at the schools and redeploy and redistrict is probably a smart thing and should have been done a few years ago. He noted this may save money, but it won’t help better educate the children.
Mr. Donahue stated one thing that comes up every year is the cutting of the reading program. He pointed out if a child can’t read, they won’t do well in school and when they graduate high school, they’ll have less of an education and an inability to support themselves, which hurts the town in the future.
As concerns earlier comments about the cost of education years ago, he noted if today’s mandates were transferred to years ago, what would have that budget been if it had to accomplish the same thing as today.
Mr. Donahue asked the Town Council and Board of Education to work together and forget party alliances. He noted they are here to serve all the people of Enfield. He pointed out they need to look beyond the people that went to the polls and what is best for the town and the children of Enfield.
Charles Woods, 11 Westerly Drive
Thanked the Town Council, Board of Education and Town Manager for making tough choices to make this budget. He agreed they have to look into the future, but the question is what kind of a future. He stated they need to start looking at state and federal laws because they may need to violate some of those laws to force them back into line. He noted a lot of these laws were passed when things were good, but now that there’s a money crunch, they need to look at what they really want to support.
Mr. Woods stated they should first attack binding arbitration. He noted they need to stop sending representatives to the state that support binding arbitration because binding arbitration hasn’t done any good, and has done nothing but put towns deeper into debt.
He stated they also need to look at the federal laws on No Child Left Behind. He stated perhaps students aren’t doing so well because teachers are teaching to No Child Left Behind.
Mr. Woods stated they have to know what they’re getting for their dollar. He noted he supports education, but he believes they have to eliminate some of the fixed costs. He pointed out as long as binding arbitration exists, unions won’t do anything in good faith. He stated his belief they need to send someone to Hartford to get such things reduced.
He stated he also supports the Town Manager’s budget. He acknowledged some cuts are tough for some people. He referred to the senior center and noted they should look at who is using that facility.
Gretchen Pfeifer-Hall, 4 Somers Road
Stated she is a member of the Conservation Commission. She noted she is opposed to the proposed budget for fiscal year 2010-2011, which she believes will result in a huge setback for Enfield. She noted it’s commendable that the line has been held in years past, but to continue this trend will result in devastation to the Town and the vital services provided.
Ms. Pfeifer-Hall specifically addressed the cuts to the Planning and Engineering Departments. She noted the elimination of the two Assistant Town Planner positions and the virtual elimination of the Engineering Department will be a tremendous loss to all the land use boards, residents, individuals and companies that want to do business in Enfield.
She stated as a volunteer who served 14 years on the Inland/Wetlands Agency and currently serves on the Conservation Commission, she can attest to the importance of the expertise these employees provide to aid the land use boards in making the best possible decisions. She pointed out the depth of knowledge from staff who have worked decades for the Town can never be matched or replaced by consultants.
Ms. Pfeifer-Hall stated both of these departments have always been extremely helpful whenever she needed information as a commission volunteer or as a private citizen doing research for her real estate business and on behalf of the Hazardville Institute Conservancy Society. She pointed out consultants will never be able to provide the same level of service, and it’s unrealistic to compare a town of over 45,000 to smaller towns who use them.
She urged the Town keep land use boards in their current configuration and abandon any thoughts of combining, consolidating or eliminating the Inland/Wetlands, Planning & Zoning or Conservation Commissions. She noted each of these boards require a tremendous amount of time and specific knowledge to properly carry out its duties.
Ms. Pfeifer-Hall stated Enfield established the Conservation Commission in 1969. In 1987, the Enfield Conservation Commission assumed the wetlands regulation responsibility from the Enfield Planning & Zoning Commission, and in 2001 the Enfield Conservation Commission was separated from the Enfield Inland/Wetland & Watercourses Agency. She noted each of these changes was made after careful study and to insure each commission fulfilled its duty in a timely and responsible manner.
She stated the Connecticut Association of Conservation and Inland/Wetland Commission has position statements on the combined vs. separate Inland/Wetlands and Watercourse Commissions with Planning & Zoning and combined vs. separate Conservation and Inland/Wetland Commissions. She noted the first states it’s unreasonable to expect single volunteers to adequately master the wetlands body of knowledge as well as the mandates of planning and/or zoning laws. She stated having a single knowledgeable commission that knows its own regulations and understands the science involved can result in a more efficient application process.
She stated the position statement on combined vs. separate Conservation and Inland/Wetland Commission supports the position that only a separate Conservation Commission has the time and commitment to achieve the purpose and carry out the responsibilities of the enabling legislation and subsequent revisions. In 1961, enabling legislation states that the purpose and responsibility of Conservation Commissions is development, conservation, supervision and regulation of natural resources.
Ms. Pfeifer-Hall stated protection of open space and natural resources provides economic benefits to the community. She noted it requires less tax supported infrastructure such as roads and less tax supported services such as police, fire and schools. Businesses prefer communities with a high quality of life, including an abundance of open space, nearby recreation and pedestrian friendly neighborhoods.
She stated protecting Enfield’s outstanding natural resources has been a constant theme of the Town’s Plans of Conservation and Development. She noted in 1987, 93% of residents surveyed thought protecting and acquiring open space was a good idea with lands along the Connecticut and Scantic Rivers most often mentioned for preservation. She stated enhanced access to the Scantic and Connecticut River waterfronts, while maintaining their natural character, is the first of Enfield residents’ top three desired outcomes in the January, 2010 Plan.
Ms. Pfeifer-Hall stated notable achievements of the Enfield Conservation Commission include the following:
- Negotiation of multiple parcels within the Scantic River corridor totaling over 40 acres and applying for and receiving grants for a number of these acquisitions
- Applying for and receiving greenway designation from the DEP for the Town-owned Scantic River parcels
- Working with the Engineering Department to produce a working map of the Scantic River corridor
- Organizing and sponsoring the Connecticut River Source to Sea Annual Clean-up annually since 2000 and removing approximately 100 tons of trash from the shores of the Connecticut and Scantic Rivers
- Planting trees for Arbor Day at selected Town-owned sites
- Receiving a grant and creating a document entitled “The Program of Action for Open Space and Farmland Preservation in Enfield”, which was recently adopted by the Enfield Town Council
- Starting a dialog with local farmers on farmland preservation techniques available at the state, federal and local levels and methods of promoting their business
- Sponsor the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation of Barn Survey seminar
Ms. Pfeifer-Hall stated these accomplishments have been achieved in large part due to the assistance and guidance of staff. She noted over the past three years, they’ve had the good fortune to work with Roger Alsbaugh. She stated his dedication as well as his knowledge in working with the Zoning Board of Appeals and the Historic District Commission has enabled the Conservation Commission to fulfill its duty and the wishes of the community. She urged the Council restore his position and that of the other Assistant Town Planner and the Engineering Department. She stated she realizes this may mean increasing taxes. She pointed out these are positions that provide services which are vital to the Town and justify their cost.
William Thomson, 24 Duff Drive
Stated when his brother was in the second grade, he was hit by a car and killed as he walked home from school. He noted he was seven years old at that time. He stated he was upset when he learned the Town Council is considering eliminating the school crossing program. He pointed out after 39 years, he’s still haunted by the memory of coming home from school to an empty house and wondering where everyone was and learning from a neighbor that his brother was dead. He stated now that he has children of his own, he has a clear appreciation of how devastating this loss was to his parents.
Mr. Thomson stated it’s incomprehensible to him why the Town is even considering this. He noted he was outraged to read in the paper that the Council wanted to hear from their attorney about what possible liability they would have by eliminating the crossing guard program before they made a decision. He questioned if the Council is worried about liability and is it a deciding factor as to whether they could be sued if a child were killed after this program is eliminated. He stated his impression that the only deciding factor would be safety.
He expressed his displeasure that the Council is looking at volunteers as an alternative.
Mr. Thomson noted the Council is spending tens of thousands of dollars of taxpayers’ money beautifying the Town Green, including putting a new roof on the gazebo. He stated apparently beautifying the Town Green is more important than paying for crossing guards. He suggested using volunteers to shingle the gazebo and use the savings to fund the crossing guards so children will be safe.
He stated he knows many people are looking forward to running for future political office on a platform of how much they cut services, but he’s asking that some Council members have the courage to stand up and do the right thing instead of the politically expedient thing. He pointed out there are some things more important in this world than money.
Doug Finger, 44 Buchanan Road
Stated he’s an executive officer in the Town of Enfield municipal union.
Mr. Finger stated he’s not in favor of the Town Manager’s budget. He noted some of the cuts are nasty to his union. He noted today is Workers’ Memorial Day, and he brought with him a plaque showing the names of men who died serving the Town of Enfield. He noted employee cuts from his union can increase the danger to employees. He stated remaining employees will have to do the same job with less people, and they’ll be working a little harder and possibly faster.
Mr. Finger stated his understanding the Town Council and Board of Education had a Memorandum of Understanding when the custodial staff joined the Town side. He noted it was their impression the custodians wouldn’t be harmed in any manner. He stated the proposed budget shows six positions being eliminated. He questioned if this violates the Memorandum of Understanding.
He referred to crossing guards and agreed with Mr. Thomson. He urged the Town to keep these professionals working.
Mr. Finger stated a speaker previously stated unions don’t bargain in good faith. He found this to be insulting because his union doesn’t even have a contract as yet because it expired last July. He pointed out his union gave concessions, and they negotiated in good faith.
He noted Councilman Mangini mentioned something at the last meeting about the American Employee Act, which is supposed to be money from the government to keep employees. He stated Councilman Nelson stated he would not support this. He pointed out Councilman Nelson owns, the “American Dream” realty. He stated Councilman Mangini was only looking for support of this Act to save jobs. He agreed jobs need to be saved.
Kenneth Boulette, 218 Brainard Road
Stated he has been an employee of the Town’s Highway Department for over 22 years, and he’s President of Local 1029, which represents over 150 workers.
Mr. Boulette stated it’s an injustice what’s being done to the children of Enfield through the cutting of programs and middle school sports programs. He noted he has coached many sports over the years, and sports means so much to the youth. He noted sports builds character and teamwork that carries on through life.
Mr. Boulette referred to the proposal to cut five positions plus the Superintendent in the Highway Department and stated this is ridiculous. He noted this would be going from 13 workers to eight. He stated they would be eliminating a supervisor that has many years of experience and an engineering background. He listed those things the Highway Department is responsible for:
- 185 miles of town-owned roads
- Maintenance of approximately 6,000 catch basins
- Manufacturing and installation of street name signs, traffic signs for town-owned roads, special signs for other town departments
- Painting all crosswalks for children
- Stop bars and lane arrows on town-owned roads
- Roadside mowing in rural areas
- Town-wide leaf vacuum program (the elimination of which he knows will be very difficult for senior citizens)
- Repair and replacement of sidewalk hazards within all road rights
- Rebuilding and repairing catch basins
- Maintaining inlets and outlets to reduce potential flooding
- First emergency responders during and after hours for road hazards (accidents, storms, trees, snow and ice)
- Help manage and support the town-wide sweeping program
- Design and fabricate application of vehicle graphics (this was just started and they’ve done over 70 vehicles since July, which saved a lot of money for the town)
- Overhead tree trimming and tree removal
- Snow and ice control of all town-owned roads – 24X7
He questioned who will be doing all this work with fewer employees. He stated without properly maintained roads, the town has nothing. He noted people need good roads to get to work, school, church, parks, stores and visiting family and friends. He pointed out roads are the biggest investment in any town. He stated if roads are maintained properly, the town won’t have to go to referendums as was necessary in 2000 and 2005.
Mr. Boulette questioned why such a hard hit to one department on the Town side. He noted if cuts have to be made, it should be spread around so they aren’t wiping out a department. He stated his belief the Council needs to be more reasonable with their decisions.
Carrie Barnes, 5 South Meadow Lane
Submitted a petition consisting of 235 signatures which requests the approval of the 1.24% increase that the Board of Education proposed. She noted she e-mailed the Council a link so that each Council member can access this petition. She read the petition as follows:
“We are residents of Enfield, taxpayers, parents, grandparents, neighbors, property owners. We are concerned about the future of Enfield’s next generation of citizens. We are committed to the cause of education in Enfield. We are concerned about elementary class size predictions for school year 2010-2011. We are concerned about the potential loss of electives at the secondary level. We are asking that you approve the 1.24% increase that the Board of Education requested for the year 2010-2011. We are aware that this will cause an annual tax increase in the following amounts. Homes assessed values is listed from $100,000 to $400,000 along with the associated tax increase from $25 to $100 annual. It is important to note that we are disappointed that the Board of Education did not submit to you the professionally prepared budget request of a 3.65% increase originally prepared by our Superintendent of Schools, Dr. John Gallacher. We respectfully submit this petition to you.”
Ms. Barnes stated this list contains the names of Republicans, Democrats, parents, senior citizens, teachers and Town governmental officials. She noted this is a good representation of this town. She stated individuals who signed this petition had the opportunity to leave comments. She read the following:
“Studies show over and over that an educated community has direct impacts on municipalities from attracting business to driving down public safety costs and reducing crime rates. This investment pays off in many ways. Saving on taxes is admirable, but rather than helping, it’s causing deterioration and the results will be declining property values, a declining tax base, and Enfield will no longer be a viable choice for people and business to consider.”
“I am a product of the Enfield school system when the Town and the community supported education. It’s sad to see the opportunities I had are no longer there for my son and the students of today”
“My husband and I are both retired and our three children went to school here. Now our grandchildren are in school in Enfield. Even though we’re on a fixed income, we would rather not go out to eat once a month and instead pay an increase in taxes.”
“The Council should represent the majority of Enfield, which means our youth and not the voters who don’t care about anything except themselves and their pockets.”
“There are many parents working diligently at home, at work, and in the community to do their part in raising productive citizens who will be our future. This town needs to start doing their part. Education needs to be a priority.”
“Enfield Board of Education members – it’s a shame more time was spent on deciding the graduation site than deciding how funding would be needed for education. It’s a shame what you’re doing to my hometown in the name of politics. You are destroying what took years to build. Blame whoever you like, but the final decision rests with you.”
“The budgetary actions of the Enfield Board of Education and Town Council majorities over the past several years prove they believe that education is optional. In this global economy, that belief is unconscionable.”
“Most towns are not expecting their school systems to accept flat funding, certainly not for the fourth year in a row. Other towns are accepting lower increases, but are better positioned to do so because their leaders have not cannibalized the schools in order to meet campaign promises.”
“I have yet to hear a coherent answer from an Enfield representative, regardless of who is in the majority as to why Enfield behaves so differently from surrounding communities.”
Karen LaPlante, 166 North Maple Street
Stated she’s the Chair of the Clean Energy Committee and the Enfield Conservation Commission.
Ms. LaPlante stated she’s present tonight to urge the Board of Education and Town Council to continue to make some difficult decisions. She agreed it’s important to educate children and provide the best learning environment for them, but is it too much to ask that they achieve this at the best possible cost. She noted it’s also important for the town to pay attention to the needs of its corporate and private citizens. She stated without them, there won’t be any money for anyone, let alone students.
She stated the education budget, as proposed, is more than 55% of the budget and yet it directly benefits less than 12% of the citizens (the students). She stated what about the remaining 88% of the citizens. She noted it’s time to stop cutting the services that benefit the rest of the citizens and business community. She stated they can no longer offer an open wallet to the Board of Education when the rest of the Town is falling apart. She pointed out the Town unions that have already made concessions and have given back to the community should be commended. She stated it’s time for the teachers to make concessions and show the taxpayers of Enfield that they are committed to providing the students with a quality education at a reasonable cost. She noted private sector employees are taking reductions in wages, benefits and hours and sometimes still lose their jobs despite their concessions. She stated employers are doing everything they can to keep their bottom line manageable. She noted as taxpayers, they should expect nothing less from the Town.
Ms. LaPlante stated as a member of the Conservation Commission and the Clean Energy Committee, working with qualified and impassioned Town staff is of the utmost importance. She noted achieving goals and making a difference can be greatly attributed to the work performed by the assigned staff to each board and commission. She reminded the Council that most of them came up through the ranks through these boards and commissions, and they know what a difference the assigned staff person makes in the progress of goals. She stated she has seen the difference, and this is very important to the citizens of Enfield.
She pointed out the proposed budget shows extensive cuts in the Planning and Engineering Departments. She noted the Planning Department supports the Town’s land use boards, the Planning & Zoning Commission, the Inland/Wetlands Commission, the Conservation Commission, the Historic District Commission and the Zoning Board of Appeals. She stated the Engineering Department not only plans and oversees municipal projects, but they also review new projects that are proposed by developers, and they provide educated comments to staff, boards and commissions.
Ms. LaPlante stated the Planning Department is required to update the Plan of Conservation and Development every ten years. She pointed out this Plan is already a year overdue at current staff levels.
She noted if Enfield’s boards and commissions don’t properly execute their statutory requirements, the state can take over these tasks and make the decisions for Enfield. She stated if aquifer protection and Inland/Wetland regulations aren’t properly executed, the state will step in. She pointed out the Planning Department is already at bare bones and shouldn’t be cut any further. She noted there are various rules and regulations that are in place and most are required by state statute. She pointed out the various rules are there to protect land from being overdeveloped and citizens from living next to a polluted river, and they are there to protect the natural resources within the town and make sure the first signs they hear in spring are the peepers in the neighborhood wetlands, not the sounds of bulldozers filling them in.
Ms. LaPlante quoted Gretchen Pfeifer-Hall at a recent meeting – “Wetlands” is not a dirty word. Proper wetland management protects the town from flooding during heavier, prolonged rains.” Ms. LaPlante continued stating the acquisition of open space provides citizens with a place to hike with their children and pets. She noted proper planning and zoning allows citizens protection from uncontrolled development. She questioned how would the people who live in the presidential section or the Till Street area like it if a Walgreen’s was put right next to their house. She stated that’s only one reason they have both planning and zoning.
Ms. LaPlante stated her belief there are enough zoning regulations being broken in this town to keep two zoning enforcement officers busy full-time. She questioned when this becomes important to the rest of the Town.
She emphasized they need to keep proper staffing in these departments a priority, and they cannot afford to cut these positions. She noted without qualified staff assistance and proper training for these commissioners, all hell could break lose in Enfield. She noted there are probably developers right now planning on presenting plans to the town right after July 1st because they know their project will not get a proper review.
Tom Walsh, 6 Rosanne Street
Stated his belief the Town Council is doing a great job. He noted the bottom line is that the school system has been mismanaged for many years. He stated according to reports, there are more schools and teachers than are needed.
Mr. Walsh stated the employees from Public Works do their jobs and are not holding the Town hostage. He noted apparently the Teachers’ union doesn’t want to negotiate with anyone because “they’d rather eat their young and let the teachers go”.
He stated he doesn’t want his taxes raised. He noted when the Town can come up with equal taxation on everyone, then they can approach him about raising his taxes. He stated when he pays $4,600 and someone who wants more for their four children pays $2,500, there’s no balance.
Mr. Walsh stated when he retires in about nine years, he won’t be able to afford to live in Enfield if binding arbitration still exists. He noted young families also won’t be able to afford to live in Enfield if taxes are high.
He agreed it’s stupid to eliminate school crossing guards, however, the Town shouldn’t be paying for school crossing guards, but rather the School budget should pay for this position.
Mr. Walsh stated he recently read that Enfield has the capability for 12,000 students, however, Enfield has only 6,000 students. He noted they should be able to close a school.
Adam Bajoris, 5 Concord Terrace
Stated he works at the Town Water Pollution Control facility
He stated he is behind the entire union’s disapproval of the proposed budget.
Kathleen Thomson, 24 Duff Drive
Stated she read in the newspaper that the Town might be looking to have volunteers to save $132,000 for the crossing guard program. She noted the current crossing guards are a very dedicated group. She stated they are at their assigned area in sun, rain, sleet and snow. She noted they’re present whether the schools have a delayed start or an early release.
Ms. Thomson asked the Town Manager to never again think for one second to replace these dedicated crossing guards with volunteers. She noted crossing guards are more valuable than the pay that they receive and for the safety they give the children. She stated now more than ever they are needed because there are very many distracted drivers on the road with people using cell phones, looking at maps, drinking coffee or looking at newspapers. She pointed out drivers beep at children within crosswalks.
She stated she does not want another parent to go through what her in-laws went through having to bury a child who never came home on his way home from school.
Ms. Thomson stated this town has its priorities mixed up when a Town Council wants to put a new roof on a gazebo and a new sidewalk around the World War II memorial. She noted this is happening while they’re possibly eliminating paying for crossing guards and cutting many positions and services.
She stated the Board of Education spent more time deciding where they’re going to hold graduation than discussions on the possibility of closing schools effective this September. She questioned where the priorities are in this town.
Todd Mangini, 41 First Avenue
Stated he has lived in Enfield all his life and watched the Town grow over the years and watched the quality of services grow as well. He noted this budget shows a lot of minuses and zeroes, and he’s concerned the quality of services is going down. He noted they may be saving money now, but they’ll end up having to pay in the end.
Paul Kelly, 11 Starr Lane
Stated he’s a 25-year employee of the Town. He stated his opinion the Highway Division has been targeted for complete destruction. He noted cutting the staff down to this level is untenable, and without a Superintendent to lead the division, no one is there to look out for the interests of the basic infrastructure of the town. He pointed out the Superintendent is a professional and engineer, and he deals in absolutes and exacts. He feels very strongly that continuing in this path and reducing the current maintenance of the roads is tantamount to purchasing a house and never doing maintenance to it. He noted the infrastructure of this town is now resorting to referendums for $20 million dollars to completely reconstruct roads that should have been maintained to begin with. He stated mile for mile, every inch of concrete and pavement and signage in Enfield is probably ten times the dollar value of all the Town’s buildings. He noted without the infrastructure, the Town is doomed. He stated the Highway Department provides a great level of service in this town, and he feels these cuts are not good for the town.
Frank Wood, 31Glendale Road
Stated education is not an option, and it does not benefit a small minority of the populace as has been asserted. He noted education benefits the entire community. He stated in this global economy, education is a patriotic issue. He pointed out nations across the globe are “eating our lunch” because they are producing more scientists, engineers and other creative people who have an entrepreneurial spirit. He stated they need more education in order to compete and maintain their economic position in the world. He noted when others are going forward, how can this country afford to go backwards. He stated they should let education excellence begin in Enfield.
Margaret Jedziniak, 232 Abbe Road
Questioned why parents who feel the crossing guards are one of the biggest priorities don’t demand that the school system takes over the crossing guards. She noted the Town side of the budget has taken on a great deal of the School Department’s responsibility, and that can’t go on much longer. She pointed out 37% of the town’s people are on fixed incomes. She noted if it wasn’t for that 37%, the school system would be in bad shape. She pointed out they are subsidizing them, and she feels things were leveled off a little bit. She noted senior citizens built ten schools in Enfield, and she stated perhaps it’s time for the young people to step up. She stated if they want a great school system, then they have to sacrifice.
Kelly Hemmeler, 10 Hartford Avenue
Stated she has one child in the school system and two grandchildren who will be in the school system in a couple years. She went on to thank the Town for not raising her taxes and making things more efficient. She believes they need to pull together and noted there are a lot of things that could be done by volunteers. She stated if everyone stepped up and became volunteers, they can pull through the hard times and things will be better some day.
Jack Sheridan, 7 Buchanan Road
Shared the following additional taxes to be paid by residents and businesses if they go to the 1.3 mill increase:
House Value Tax Increase
$150,000 $195.29
$200,000 $260.38
$250,000 $325.48
$400,000 $520.76
The top ten businesses and taxpayers in Enfield would pay $79,000, $66,000, $52,000, $45,000, $37,000, $31,000, $30,000, $28,000, $27,000, $22,000
Mr. Sheridan stated he wonders how many businesses Enfield would lose as a result of this mill increase. He questioned if those businesses leave, who picks up the tab.
He stated 84% of the school budget is for salary and benefits. He noted the Town hasn’t cut the school budget. He noted it’s been funded higher every year. He pointed out enrollment went way down. He stated binding arbitration is an issue.
Mr. Sheridan reminded the Council it’s illegal to set a budget that’s greater than revenue.
He stated his belief they need crossing guards, but that cost should be on the school side.
He concluded stating his belief the gazebo looks good. He pointed out Town employees did the roof on the gazebo, and they did an excellent job at a very modest cost. He stated his belief this was needed rather than having the center of town looking deteriorated.
Charles Woods 11 Westerly Drive
Stated when he mentioned unions earlier, he was talking about the Teachers’ Union. He voiced his support of keeping the crossing guards, and it’s up to the Council as to where the money comes from.
Mr. Woods stated the United States is taxing corporations out of this country. He noted students graduating from this country’s colleges are following jobs out of the country.
William Gallagher, 17 Carmela Terrace
Stated he’s on the senior center council. He noted if anyone has questions as to how the finances work at the senior center, they should contact Susan Lather.
Robert Tkacz, 150 Bernadino Avenue
Stated everyone has to share the burden, and the senior center should share that burden with everyone else.
Doug Finger, 44 Buchanan Road
Stated he appreciates the hard work before the Council.
Ed Poremba, Overhill Road
Agreed they definitely have to keep the crossing guards.
Mr. Poremba stated there’s a trickle down effect. He noted private industry has been encountering this for the past few years, and now it’s finally at the government level. He stated perhaps the unions would be willing to renegotiate and give some give-backs, i.e., give some holidays back to the system.
He wished the Council luck.
Joseph Saroce, 10 Briarwood Drive
Stated his belief there isn’t enough being cut at the senior center to generate a petition.
Mr. Saroce stated prior to 1986 when the Educational Enhancement Act was enacted, teachers weren’t paid very much so they gave them a lot of concessions. He noted the concessions still exist and the Educational Enhancement Act has become a cash cow for teachers and administrators and many of them have benefited very well from this.
He referred to the people who spoke in support of the unions and stated he understands their plight, however, to him their main concern is union dues, which gives them the power.
Mr. Saroce stated they have to be realistic because these are hard times.
He concluded commending the Council for doing a good job.
Carrie Barnes, 5 South Meadow Lane
Stated the Board of Education budget does not benefit only 12% of this town’s population. She noted students are the next generation of citizens. She noted they cannot look at the taxes paid into the education system as useless dollars.
She noted there seems to be a misconception about taxes in Enfield. She stated many say they don’t have children in school, therefore, why should they have to pay that 55% in taxes. She pointed out that throughout life, people need different services. She noted she has never been inside the senior center, she has never had the police at her home, and she called 911 once in ten years. She stated there will come a time when she’ll have no children in Enfield Public Schools and probably still won’t be using the senior center.
Ms. Barnes stated the benefit of a tax is not equitable among the parties that pay the tax. She noted the calculation of how a tax is assessed is equitable among taxpayers. She stated if the benefit were equitable, it would be a purchase rather than a tax. She noted talk about subsidizing the children, and only the children are getting the benefit of the education system isn’t right. She stated this is selfish thinking when they are benefiting Enfield and the entire country by educating children. She noted she is sickened to hear of the disgust that people have for paying for education in Enfield as if it’s no one’s job and it’s not the community’s job. She stated she’s very upset by the comments she’s hearing tonight about education in Enfield.
Michael DeLisa, 12 Rosanne Street
Stated he’s retired and on a fixed income, and he’s paying on a house that depreciated 20% in the past three or four years. He noted he’s now a widower and no longer benefiting from his wife’s social security income. He stated this means he has $506 less per month, which means he’s taking a $6,000 annual cut. He noted he cannot afford a nominal increase in taxes.
Mr. DeLisa stated Town Hall is the hub of the town, and the senior center is one of its spokes. He noted the senior center is well attended and well used. He pointed out a lot of people donate their time at the senior center. He stated he is on the advisory board at the senior center, and at this time they’re trying hard to figure out how they can get more money so they don’t have to cut programs.
Tom Walsh, 6 Rosanne Street
Agreed with union speakers and stated his belief it would be more equitable if every department took a hit rather than demolish a whole department.
Herman Roy, 17 Alban Road
Stated he has lived in Enfield for 40 years. He noted he raised one son who attended Enfield Schools. He stated his son is 38 years old and no longer attends school. He noted he is a retired person and is still paying taxes to keep everyone else’s kids in school, however, he doesn’t mind doing that.
Mr. Roy stated he is a crossing guard on North Maple Street, and traffic conditions are hazardous due to negligent drivers. He pointed out North Maple Street is a state road, and he hopes someone from the Town can talk to the State about making this road safer.
Frank Wood, 31 Glendale Road
Offered his sympathy for the previous speaker who lost his wife.
Mr. Wood stated since social security was enacted, there has been a cost of living increase given to every recipient up until this year. He noted this is the first year that social security was flat funded by the government and that’s because the Consumer Price Index did not increase. He stated the contribution that everyone makes to Medicare is also flat. He noted it is true that the Medicare supplement insurance did increase somewhat. He stated Medicare Part D also increased slightly. He stated many times he hears that people who receive social security are on a fixed income. He stated except for the year 2010 that is not true.
Margaret Jedziniak, 232 Abbe Road
Stated her Medicare has gone up and also the doctors are sending bills very fast. She noted many people have seen an increase in their Medicare.
She noted the Town and School System talk about fixed costs, but fixed costs can be negotiated.
There were no more comments from the public.
Chairman Kaupin stated the Council will go into deliberations next week with a budget adoption by May 17th or 18th. He thanked the Town Manager and Gregg Stokes for their budget presentations this evening.
Chairman Kaupin closed the Public Hearing at 9:30 p.m. |