Ansonia Aldermen agreed Tuesday (Aug. 20) to give residents the opportunity to vote this November on whether the city should adopt budget referendums.
But they held off on formally moving that and several other charter reforms to the ballot until a special meeting next Tuesday (Aug. 27).
In the interim, the Charter Revision Commission will meet Thursday (Aug. 22) to tweak the proposal after concerns raised during Tuesday’s meeting.
Currently, the Board of Apportionment and Taxation, an appointed body, has the final say on the budget — after the budget is created by a subcommittee of the Board of Aldermen, then reviewed by the full Board of Aldermen.
Under the proposed charter change — Ansonia voters would get the final say on any budget carrying a year-over-year increase of 1.5 percent or greater.
Public Outcry
Aldermen discussed the proposal for about an hour Tuesday after a public hearing during which more than 50 people crowded City Hall’s Aldermanic chambers and testified overwhelmingly in favor of the referendum idea.
It was the second such meeting to occur in City Hall in a week, after residents made similar calls to the Charter Revision Commission during a public hearing Aug. 13.
Eighteen residents spoke to Aldermen Tuesday, the vast majority testifying in favor of having budget referendums, with many saying high taxes are making the city impossible to remain in.
“I feel that it’s about time for us voters to have a say in what’s going on with the spending in town,” said Lou Angelucci, a lifelong Ansonia resident who said it’s “ridiculous” he pays more in taxes on two vehicles in Connecticut than his sister does on her Florida home. “It’s making it very hard on myself, my family, and my neighbors … We have to put a stop to this nonsensical spending.”
BOAT Chairman Richard Sturges and Vice Chairman Edward Norman testified as well, saying they were not against having budget referendums.
“I’ve got no problem with a referendum,” Sturges said. “No problem at all.”
He added that this year’s tax hike was caused primarily by a revaluation which saw the grand list plummet in the midst of a sputtering economy.
BOAT “doesn’t control the budget,” Norman said. “We balance the budget.”
Norman went on to point out that many of the expenses that drive budget increases — like the contracts the city has with its employees — are approved by other boards.
Change The Changes
As some pointed out Tuesday, in the highly unlikely event that the state chose to, say, give Ansonia schools a $1 million bump in funding while other city spending remained flat, a referendum would still be triggered because “spending” would increase more than 1.5 percent, though the tax rate would not be affected.
Others raised concerns over the timing of the budget process — BOAT votes on its budget the third Monday in May, but the deadline for the city to send out tax bills is June 15.
Charter Revision Commission Chairman John Marini, also an Alderman in the seventh ward, said the proposal will be revised to exclude increases in any state and federal grants, and also to move the budget process back one month.
By a show of hands, Aldermen present Tuesday — Jerome Fainer and Anthony DeLucia were absent — were unanimously in favor of the budget referendum proposal with those revisions included in it.
They then scheduled a special meeting for Aug. 27 at which they’ll vote on the revised referendum idea, and three other charter changes.
Other Recommendations
The other changes are:
- The city wants to increase the current dollar threshold — from $5,000 to $25,000 — that forces the city to request sealed bids and take out legal notices requesting sealed bids.
- A measure allowing the city to post abbreviated legal notices in newspapers, and referring people to the city’s website for complete information.
- An attendance policy for boards and commissions that says if a person on one misses three consecutive meetings, they are considered to have resigned.
Click here for a previous story detailing those changes.
Of the other proposals, the only one that garnered any input Tuesday was the absentee policy, which some said should be revised to have only unexcused absences from regular, monthly meetings of appointed boards be used as criteria for removal from office.
Aldermen, again by an informal show of hands, said they’d approve the absentee policy next Tuesday with those revisions, as well as the other proposed changes.
Audio of Tuesday’s meeting is posted below.
