While the school budget formulation process is well underway, the work on the city side of the budget is just getting started — and Mayor Anthony Staffieri sent out letters Monday telling his department heads to toe the line.
The letter stresses that the economy is still in terrible shape — and the governor’s budget proposes one of the biggest tax hikes in history.
“In my opinion, it would be immoral to increase property taxes in Derby on those citizens carrying the burden of those issues above,” Staffieri wrote. “They deserve better.”
“I therefore challenge your management skills asking you to create and submit a ZERO growth budget for fiscal 2011-2012.”
The letter was sent to all departments under city control, ranging from the police department to the senior center.
Staffieri also asks that department heads forgo raises — and that he is asking the same of all non-union city employees.
“I am asking the same of all non-union employees. I realize, at a time when prices on almost everything are going up, no pay increase causes difficulty but I can’t raise taxes on the people of Derby in this economy,” the mayor writes.
Funding requests from city departments are due March 24.
The Derby Board of Apportionment and Taxation is tentatively scheduled to go over those requests starting March 29.
No new taxes at all? Take a look around our city. It’s crumbling before our eyes. Our schools are facing more layoffs yet again because you continue to underfund our children’s future just for votes.
You are doing the taxpayers of Derby a huge disservice by not raising taxes even a little. The economy is recovering and people are back to work. Zero growth in the budgets means zero growth for our city. What a shame!
Your leadership has been challenged and you have failed to meet the challenge. I certainly hope the Tax Board has the good sense to not listen to your letter to department heads.