Note: Ansonia Alderman John Marini sent the following to the Valley Indy Friday morning after reading a story published Thursday night on the proposed 2013-2014 Ansonia budget.
The vocal involvement from the community on the budget is really commendable. City Hall should always be kept accountable to the residents and taxpayers. Spirited debate on both sides of any issue should be welcomed and encouraged. If city officials feel uncomfortable with that, they should really rethink who they are working for.
I regret missing the meeting. I likely would have attended if not for a Friday morning conference at the Stamford Superior Court I needed to prepare for. However, I have to speak up for my fellow colleagues on the Board of Aldermen – Republicans and Democrats. The aldermen have been part of the budget process since December. They conducted meetings with every city department, including the Board of Education. The aldermen addressed public comments when passing the first draft of this budget in February. Representatives from the Board of Aldermen also sat in during the tax board’s budget deliberations in March and April.
Disparaging the aldermen for their non-involvement at this one meeting is entirely unfair – they have been involved in this process for months. I am particularly disappointed that such remarks would come from members of the tax board. It is important to remember that the budgetary system in Ansonia gives final authority of the budget to the tax board and that, at this point, the Board of Aldermen is essentially powerless.. This system is supposedly designed to separate politics from the budget process. However, it appears that members of the tax board are now seeking political cover. This is extremely disheartening. We do not need scapegoating from the tax board or anyone else in city hall. We need leadership.
Here are thoughts I would have voiced at the meeting last night:
1. The Board of Education is clearly underfunded. All-day kindergarten should, in my opinion, be the first priority I would certainly pledge support for funding an all-day kindergarten program if it would help secure state funds for five years. I would urge all members of the Board of Aldermen to support this.
2. The combination of increased spending and lowered mill rate will be crushing for many long-time Ansonia residents. A projected mill rate increase from 27.65 to 39.15 will be devastating to many home owners, particularly seniors and those on fixed incomes. Car taxes will also increase. There is a financial reality that must be appreciated. Raising the tax rate any further this year would be cruel (but all too usual) punishment for people already struggling in a bad economy.
3. I believe in the argument that a better education system can increase the tax base. However, does spending alone increase the quality of education? Looking at cities such as Waterbury and Bridgeport, it is clear to me that the answer is no. Increasing the burden on Ansonia’s working class taxpayers will likely force homeowners out and cause the proliferation of multi-family rental properties. The net economic benefit will be to out-of-town landlords.
4. A referendum on a larger school budget increase should be considered. Allow residents to weigh-in on this directly. Moreover, allow the proponents of a larger budget increase this year to make their case directly to the taxpayers. Or, a question could simply be included at the ballot during the bonding referendum being conducted next month. This would allow the city to get direct input from the residents.
5. Ansonia needs to take a unified stand against unfunded and unfair mandates from the Connecticut Board of Education. Money allocated by Hartford should be spent as our Board of Education sees fit. I trust Superintendent Merlone to makes decisions in the best interest of our children. I do not want a bureaucrat in another city telling her how those funds are best used. But if Ansonia does not take a stand, we will continue to get unfunded mandates and state funds will continue to be directed towards initiatives Hartford cooks up.
6. The Board of Education must prioritize keeping health insurance costs down. These costs prevent much of the funds budgeted by the city from actually getting into the classroom. If the city commits to long-term all-day Kindergarten funding, the Board of Education should reciprocally commit to a long-term cost-reduction plan.
7. Pulling funds from the reserve fund endangers Ansonia’s bond rating and is just plain irresponsible. Not to mention desperate. And not very creative either.
8. The budgetary system in Ansonia should be fixed so that the Board of Aldermen and Mayor set the budget. Approving a municipal budget is the single most important thing a municipal government does. The fact that unelected officials set the budget in Ansonia is absurd. The current system allows the aldermen to blame the tax board, and the tax board to blame the aldermen. Not to mention, it leaves the Mayor, our top elected official, out of the calculation entirely. It doesn’t get more political. The current system is atrocious. It lacks accountability and needs to be changed.
I hope those residents involved in the budget process stay involved. And I hope they consider becoming more involved – we need motivated and passionate people in City Hall.
The writer represents Ansonia’s Seventh Ward on the Board of Aldermen. He can be reached at 203-751-2854 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Mr. Marini – then why would Mr.Sturgis (sp?) say you would attend? Not ONE Alderman could attend?
I believe most aldermen thought the budget was finalized at the last BOAT meeting. Representatives from the aldermen are usually present. Remember also that this was not the final budget meeting.
Was the mayor present?
The budget most certainly is not finalized. They knew this and have a meeting for their finalization of it on Monday night. I have no idea where the Mayor is; it was requested to get him on the phone last night as he is “out of town”.
Again, if most aldermen thought the budget was passed, why would they tell Mr. Sturgis (sp?) that they would be in attendance on Thursday night? Someone is telling an untruth here. Are the minutes posted yet from the other night?
Also this meeting was evidently called on Monday night as a continuance. If everyone in town knew about it and was all over Facebook, why again were there no Aldermen present?
I am still waiting to hear from my Alderman who I can’t even find an email address for. He hasn’t been around here in a year. He used to stop and talk to us all the time, stop at the bus stop and talk to us when we were waiting for our kids, etc. Nothing in almost a year.
Susan – To clarify, you are right that the budget finalization takes place on Monday. I agree that everyone should know this. I meant that most aldermen likely assumed that BOAT’s budget would not change between last Monday and the big vote this Monday. Usually the tax board allows time for the public to digest what the number will be. This was a last minute change.
Again, the BOA has clearly given their opinion on the budget. They established the first version of the budget and met with BOAT for the last 2 months. So yes, many of us are surprised.
Typically the big finalization is attended by all aldermen. Hopefully the board will be in full attendance this Monday.
If there were alderman who promised to be there on Thursday, than shame on them for not showing up. I understand why you would be upset and confused about this. I personally have been on trial all week and unfortunately not able to follow things as closely as I typically do.
But let me ask – what would you have asked your aldermen if he was there?
There are a few things I would like to ask him. Number one – where have you been? Why don’t you invite everyone in your ward to a meeting somewhere or at least go around and speak to all your constituents? Also, the fact that when you did run, you spoke passionately about education. However last year you changed your vote at the last minute to a nay for the board of education increase and this year (according to what I have heard, I have yet to read all board minutes yet), for a zero percent increase.
Also, I respectfully would like to submit to the Board of Aldermen that many constituents would like some sort of mailing list that has upcoming meetings – and what is on the agenda. Yes, we can check the main City page and know when the meetings are, however I will say I have been to some meetings that I went to incorrectly as what was being discussed was not really truly pertinent. I feel that if the Citizens of Ansonia got this information via email in particular (robo calls can get annoying to some people and I’ll admit it – I don’t tweet!) or even a text message, more people WOULD show up.
I forget the gentleman’s name who said this last night (he was a gray haired bearded man who sat in the first seat on the left hand side) but he stated that the Aldermen have reported that the seniors do not want this increase. However he wondered where everyone was that they spoke to as well as the Aldermen who reported this. He made it a point to show that we as constituents have the same rights as the seniors. I can understand that seniors are on a fixed budget, many families are on a fixed budget or barely making ends meet as well. We are all in the same boat. However, one group of people should not consistently take priority over the other. The Board of Education has been slighted for years now it seems. I personally was proud to shake Dr. Merlone’s hand last night after her speech and commend her for it.
And I appreciate your clarification as well for the voting process.
Susan – I can assure you that both of your second ward aldermen (Phil Tripp and Charlie Stowe) have been extremely active working on resident issues since they were elected. They have also been heavily involved in safety/security issues and working with our economic development commission.
What you heard about the budget vote last year is not true. Phil, myself and the rest of the Republicans voted for a $200,000 plus increase in the education budget last year. This decision was based on the state’s announcement to provide Ansonia with over $500,000 in new grant funding. This rationale was made very clear at the last finance meeting prior to the board of aldermen budget vote. Democrats on the board prevailed with an higher increase in the education budget of about $600,000.
This year both Republicans and Democrats unanimously approved an increase to the education budget.
I have always been cautious about increases to the education budget because of the state’s minimum funding requirement. Basically, an increase given to the board of education becomes the new baseline budget for the next year. So an additional $500,000 this year means an additional $500,000 for next year, and the year after, etc. etc.
I wish we had the resources to give the BOE it’s full request. With limited resources it is truly a balancing act of priorities.
For example, all aldermen agreed on the need for full-day kindergarten. However, we were told by the BOE that this would require an additional $800,000 per year. We were willing to do this until we were informed that the $800,000 would be in addition to the million per year extra to keep the education system at status quo. Yes, that’s over 1 million extra per year to keep status quo.
In Ansonia, annual increases of that amount are simply untenable.
Every person on the BOE supports education. The challenge is that we have a duty to support the whole city. With limited resources and a shrinking economic base, this means tough, tough decisions.
If you are honestly interested in helping the city make better decisions, please consider volunteering on a board or even running for office. It is clear that you care very much about education in this city. I would like to see you get involved.