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Council Hears Mixed Message
Some Push For Budget Cuts, Others For Maintaining School Spending
By DANIEL P. JONES
Courant Staff Writer
June 27 2007
WEST HARTFORD --
Several residents Tuesday night implored the town council to reduce spending
further and minimize the property tax increase for the 2007-08 budget, while
other residents urged council members not to make further reductions in the
schools' spending plan.
More than 30 residents spoke during the council's public comment session on
the budget. About 85 residents attended the hearing.
Council members listened to residents' views as they prepared to discuss and
vote tonight on a new budget following defeat of the council's adopted
spending plan in a June 12 referendum.
"Don't cut the board of education budget," said Debbie Schnitzer, an Auburn Road resident and mother of three
children who said she moved with her husband to West Hartford for its
"excellent schools."
Linda DiNapoli, a Mohegan Drive resident who was among
those urging spending reductions to cut the tax increase, characterized West Hartford residents as tax slaves.
"Cut benefits and wages and management," she told the council.
Theresa McGrath, president of the West Hartford Taxpayers Association,
defended herself during the hearing against criticism from a resident who
accused her of distributing inaccurate and misleading information about the
town budget.
That resident, Christopher Dowd of Sunset Terrace, spoke earlier in the
hearing and called the taxpayers' group a "dishonest organization."
He said McGrath was trying to set her own agenda without running for office
and said the taxpayer group's leaders had "declared war on the
schools."
Members and supporters of the taxpayer group tried to talk over Dowd while he
was speaking. "They also feel free in this forum to heckle at
will," Dowd told the council.
McGrath, who spoke later, said her agenda was to make West
Hartford sustainable and affordable for all its residents.
"I am a humble woman. I am not looking to run for office," she
said.
"I myself am not able to afford to live in this town," McGrath
said. She said her agenda was to cut taxes. "I don't want to move. I'm
going to have to move," she said.
"We are not here to break the schools," McGrath said. She said she
was upset at being criticized.
Town officials have said they want to avoid cutting classroom programs and
want to avoid harming the town's triple-A bond rating.
"The quickest way to drive down home values is to make cuts in the
classrooms, and that's not going to happen on our watch," council member
Chuck Coursey said after the hearing. "We're
looking at cuts in every department, but we're working to craft a budget that
preserves West Hartford as a wonderful place
to live and raise a family."
The council will meet tonight at 7 at town hall.
Contact Daniel P. Jones at dpjones@courant.com.
Copyright 2007, Hartford Courant
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