2008 West Hartford Budget Debate
If you live in West Hartford, or are considering buying a home in West Hartford, you hopefully are paying attention to the ongoing debate about the 2008-2009 budget. This year’s proposed town budget is up almost 7% from the 2007-2008 budget, to $216 million. Residential property taxes provide the majority of the revenue to run the town and provide the services, so all homeowners in West Hartford are affected in one way or another by increases or decreases in the budget.
Last evening was the second, and last, public hearing for West Hartford residents to voice their opinions about the proposed budget to the Town Council. I attended the meeting to understand the public sentiment regarding the increase, as I hear both favorable and dissenting opinions in my line of work.
The Courant reported on the events this morning. Members of the West Hartford Taxpayers Association and West Hartford First were in attendance and made their voices heard.
Unfortunately the Courant did not report on one of the more interesting comments of the evening, provided by Prospect Avenue resident, Robert Sisk.
Mr. Sisk took advantage of the publicly available budget information (both current and historic) and forecasted the West Hartford budget over the next 5 years. His important analysis and conclusions can be found here.
Coming from a corporate background, budget forecasting is the norm. Shouldn’t the town of West Hartford be doing this exercise as well? If Mr. Sisk’s forecast is true, West Hartford is heading down an unsustainable path. Property taxes will continue to rise at a rate faster than real wage growth, and those on fixed or low incomes will not be able afford to live in West Hartford. This will affect the property values of everyone in the town.
A referendum, if one was to occur, would be a short term fix. What can be done for longer term sustainability? Revenues must be increased and costs must be decreased.
bEST THING WE SHOULD HAVE TEN THOUSAND SUBSCRIBERS DO IS CANCEL THEIR SUBSCRIPTION TO THIS PAPER
Hey Amy,
My reaction to all of this stuff is that there’s too much noise and not enough signal emanating from the debate and the coverage. I vowed last year to spend more time paying attention this year, but the startup thing hasn’t given me time.
Would love to hear what you think should happen to the budget (what should get cut, how can they manage the costs). If you’re not willing to go into it on the blog (understandable), Heidi and I would love to grab a drink with you and your husband whenever.
The presentation above from Mr. Sisk was interesting and had some good info.
It’s weird. I’m surprised by the 7% increase and concerned about it, but I also get turned off by the WHTA ripping the teachers union and begrudging them their salaries. That can’t be the only cost going up, and Sisk’s presentation indicates some items that don’t get mentioned much.
The people of West Hartford resoundingly voted in the current administration. Therefore, they must want them to do what they are doing since they were so happy to have them in charge. It’s the will of the people.
I have a difficult time with the budgeting process because I tend to agree with certain points from both “sides,” but find all of the contentious debating frustrating. It’s very much “us versus them” which divides the town and strains relationships.
The school system is very important and I believe, a major driver for people moving into, and staying in, West Hartford, and, hence, a significant factor in maintaining property values. Teachers do need to be paid well and valued for the work they provide and I think it is too easy a target for people to attack their salaries and benefits. (Disclaimer: my mother has been an elementary school teacher for 25+ years in VT, so I’ve actually seen all of the work that goes on when she’s not actually at school)
I, too, need to sit down and look at the budget more carefully to truly understand what could be cut, and what other revenue generating opportunities exist. Kyle and I would be hapy to go out with you and Heidi for drinks to discuss!
What I really found interesting about Mr. Sisk’s analysis was that it was based on historical data and took a corporate view. He was not aligned with either WH First or the WHTA, he just did an independent analysis and came to a conclusion, with recommendations. And maybe the Council has actually done this analysis on it’s own and just not published it. There are several with corporate backgrounds on the Council and I’m sure Jim Francis does forecasting. Who really know what goes on behind closed doors.
One other thing that must be remembered, all of the time and work performed by the Council and the School Board members is voluntary. Hats off to them. I have no idea how they balance their schedules. Could the people lobbying for and against really do a better job?
Chris- I believe that the majority of the town residents are still satisfied with their choices for the Council and School Board.
The us vs. them thing is exactly why I was turned off by the taxpayers association the last time around. It would be great if a taxpayer association actually worked to educate people on the various options so we could all discuss the root issue, which is a difference in prioritization.
But instead, the WHTA goes out of it’s way to blame people and to vilify the teachers union and the town employees. Comparative data, like in Mr. Sisk’s presentation, would be much more helpful (compare teacher’s salaries, compare administrative salaries, garbage costs, how much goes into maintenance of parks, etc.).
Anyway, I guess I’m rambling. I, too, see both sides, but full page ads with misleading information will turn me off any day. Hope we can avoid that this year.
[...] the financial stresses that local governments face on a couple of occasions. One post focused on West Hartford’s ongoing budget situation, while the other was more general and looked at the difficult economics of running a town. We see [...]