Hartford Courant

Budget Plan Draws More Barbs At Hearing


By DANIEL P. JONES
Courant Staff Writer

April 11 2007

WEST HARTFORD -- Two dozen residents at a public hearing Tuesday railed against the town manager's proposed annual budget, expected property tax increases and a state-mandated revaluation that sent property values soaring.

About 75 people attended the hearing Tuesday evening at town hall, the third and final chance for residents to offer the town council their views of Town Manager Jim Francis' proposed budget for 2007-08.

Several of the speakers criticized what they viewed as unwise town spending and attacked unfunded state mandates and the state law requiring that negotiations between school boards and teachers' unions be governed by binding arbitration.

"We're being hit from all sides and our incomes are just not rising as fast," said Judy Aron, vice president of the West Hartford Taxpayers Association and an unsuccessful Republican candidate last November in a race for the 18th House District seat in the legislature.

"Band together with other towns to force binding arbitration reform," said Aron, a North Quaker Lane resident.

"I think the thousand-pound gorilla in the room that nobody wants to address is the town's payroll," said Joe Visconti, a Clifton Avenue resident. "Who will stand against the educational cartel?"

The council is expected to reduce the proposed budget and will vote on a spending plan April 24.

Earlier this month, the board of education trimmed nearly $2 million from the proposed school budget. The school board adopted a $120.1 million budget and sent it to the council for consideration. The overall town budget would include the school spending plan, $70.7 million for municipal operations and $16.5 million for capital projects.

The town manager's proposed budget, before school spending was reduced, would have decreased the property tax rate from 46.19 mills to 31.43 mills. The drop in the tax rate, however, comes as most properties' assessments have surged because of revaluation last October, the first since 1999.

Several of the residents who spoke Tuesday took aim at the assessments that resulted from what they consider an unfair revaluation.

Waterside Lane resident George Kennedy, one of about 10 people who also spoke at previous budget hearings this spring, told the council Tuesday that he and others might mount a legal challenge to the revaluation.

"My taxes are going up 25 percent based on your flawed assessment and your liberal spending," said Elliot Check, a Farmington Avenue resident. "Maybe it's time to start suing the state for the unfunded mandates they put upon us and the binding arbitration."

Jasyn Sadler, a Burr Street resident who was among a group of homeowners that two years ago filed a lawsuit backed by Westfarms mall to oppose the Blue Back Square development, criticized press reporting on town issues and made a partisan pitch to residents to vote for Republicans for the council.

Sadler told people in the audience to get in touch with Mark Sinatro, a Republican member of the council, and with Theresa McGrath, the president of the taxpayers association. McGrath was allowed to speak twice at Tuesday's hearing when Mayor Scott Slifka and the council dispensed with the rules to allow her a second chance to speak after all others had spoken.

McGrath has said the association would petition for a referendum on the budget unless the council limits the spending increase to 2.5 percent.

A petition for a referendum requires about 2,400 signatures and be delivered to the town within 25 days of the council's vote on the budget, according to the corporation counsel's office.

Contact Daniel P. Jones at dpjones@courant.com.

Copyright 2007, Hartford Courant