Hartford Courant

West Hartford Taxpayer Group To Seek Budget Referendum

By VANESSA DE LA TORRE

Courant Staff Writer

April 25, 2008

WEST HARTFORD —

The West Hartford Taxpayers Association has decided to petition for a referendum on the town's $215.9 million budget.

After the town council approved the 2008-09 municipal budget Tuesday night by a 6-3 vote, the president of the taxpayers' group, Chris Torino, said he would not seek a referendum because "the people in West Hartford seem pretty happy with the majority party, and they have elected them by a landslide, and so this must be what the people of West Hartford want."

But others in the association disagreed.

On Wednesday night, about 30 members of the group gathered in town hall for their monthly meeting and took a vote. The majority, Torino said Thursday, wanted a referendum and started the task of gathering signatures.

The association has 25 days from the budget's enactment to collect about 2,400 signatures from registered voters and deliver the petition to the town, West Hartford officials said.

Torino said he did not vote to pursue a referendum, "but I support my organization in doing it. ... I will be out getting signatures, just like any other member."

The taxpayers' group is asking that the town cut its 7 percent spending increase in half, to 3.5 percent, according to Torino. He did not specify what kind of cuts could be made.

Mayor Scott Slifka said Thursday afternoon that he expected the petition and argued that if there were reasonable ways to reduce spending, "we would have made those decisions already."

At Tuesday night's council meeting, Democrats described the budget as a painful but necessary "maintenance" plan that will preserve the town's cornerstones — good schools and public safety — in difficult economic times. The Republican minority rejected the plan, saying homeowners won't be able to afford to live in town because of rising property taxes. Town officials project that many homeowners will face a minimum 6.9 percent increase in their tax bills.

Republican council member Joe Visconti made a general call to cut town jobs, and Democrats called the challenge last-hour pandering after weeks of budget sessions.

On Thursday, Slifka contended that a significant slash to the town's spending package would mean losing teachers and police officers to job cuts. For those who vote against the budget in a referendum, Slifka said, "more power to you ... but we want you to understand [the] ramifications."

The town charter allows a maximum of two referendums per annual budget. Last year, the taxpayers' group successfully petitioned for the townwide vote, which was held in June.

Voters soundly defeated the $203.3 million municipal budget that the council had adopted, and town leaders subsequently cut more than $1.6 million in spending.