Hamden Daily News

'Taxpayers are Getting Mugged'

Council approves a 4 percent tax hike and questions some “iffy” revenues

By Sharon Bass

At the end of a three-plus-hour meeting—oftentimes tense and confusing; sometimes downright hostile—the Legislative Council approved a $173,352,458 operating budget and set a 29.10 mil rate for 2007-08. The new budget is about $10 million or 5.9 percent higher than the current year’s, and the new tax rate represents a 4 percent hike (current rate is 27.95).

Councilmembers Gretchen Callahan, Matt Fitch, Mike Germano, Jim Pascarella, Berita Rowe-Lewis, Kath Schomaker and President Al Gorman vote yea on both items last night. Nays came from Mike Colaiacovo, John Flanagan, Ron Gambardella, Curt Leng, Carol Noble and Betty Wetmore.

Here are their reasons.

“I made 20 motions to reduce budget items and every single one was voted down by the Council,” said Gambardella (R-at-large). “They talk about reducing the budget but they don’t. I vote no! It’s an insult to the taxpayers!”

“This budget is an abomination. We’re giving extra money to a department [school] that has clearly shown it can’t manage money,” said Flanagan (D-2nd District).

The mayor asked for $74.6 million for public education. The Council passed it in whole last week but lopped $500,000 off it last night. (More on that later.)

Flanagan continued. “We do have a duty to the taxpayers and we just didn’t do it. I can’t support this budget. If I decide to run again—and I may not” he said, it will be hard going door to door campaigning and having to explain this tax increase after last year’s historic leap.

“I feel I have let the taxpayers down,” said Wetmore (R-at-large). “I feel we padded the budget with that $1.3 million at the 11th hour.”

Others from the Council and public criticized Chief Administrative Officer Scott Jackson for his last-minute announcement on May 9, that the town could earn $1.3 million in the next fiscal year by tracking down and billing residents and students—even those whose legal address is not in Hamden—for having out-of-state license plates. Jackson’s surprise money came on the heels of discovering that the self-insured medical line item was accidentally shortchanged about $2 million.

‘The taxpayers are down and we just pushed them down even further,” Wetmore said. “The elderly are suffering. I see it every day. We’re being frivolous.”

“I also will be voting against the budget,” said Colaiacovo (D-7th District). “It’s pretty much unrealistic to think we can get $1.3 million in car revenue by the end of the fiscal year [June 30, 2008]. And the $2 million [medical account blunder] wasn’t brought to us in a timely way.” He also said a budgeted $1.2 million in revenue from the sale of parcels of the Dadio Farm “is not realistic.”

If not for those projected revenues, the tax hike would have been steeper. A mil in Hamden comes to $4 million, so those two “unrealistic” revenue items carved off close to 1 mil—if they are realized.

“This is the first time in my entire career I am most unhappy with this budget,” said Noble (D-at-large). “I have a lot of compassion for the people out there. You can’t be asking for big raises. Between that and the Board of Education, it makes me very sad. I have to vote no.”

Germano (D-8th District) lambasted Gambardella. “You flip-flopped on the POBs [pension obligation bonds]! You didn’t vote for what’s best for the taxpayers! It’s an election year. This is probably the first and last time I sit here as a Hamden councilman. I’d rather serve one term.”

After announcing he’s unlikely to run again, Germano resumed his tirade at Gambardella. “You may have talked loud enough but you didn’t make any sense with your motions!”

“I don’t think anyone is thrilled” with the new budget, said Fitch. “I would have liked to see less money spent on police and fire. If I choose to run again and I knock on doors of constituents who disagree with me…”

“I’m from a municipality where you have to live where you work so you can feel it,” Schomaker said of taxes.

Leng said he had vowed not to approve a budget that increased the mil rate by a point or more. “We didn’t cut enough on the town side,” he said.

Gorman said 18 departments saw reductions, five saw increases and two weren’t touched (the Arts Commission, with a total budget of $50,000 for the sole employee, and Probate Court, for $14,000).

“I hope the Council will support this budget as flawed as it is,” Gorman said.

When the Evening Was Young

Meg Nowacki opened the public input session. The Dunbar Hill Road rezzie and police commissioner had plenty to say.

“Revenues have been padded and there have been comments made as to their reliability,” she said. “It’s a little bit of wishful thinking. I’m not particularly secure about the last-minute $1.3 million [revenue from out-of-state cars]. I asked Scott Jackson if other communities have done this and he said Stratford has and Bridgeport might. To me, it seems a little tricky.”

Nowacki thanked the Council for the long hours it put into the budget and singled out Schomaker for “her persistent efforts to ask department heads what they’re doing to decrease energy and [increase] recycling.”

Contrary to Fitch’s statement that the Police Department’s budget should have been cut, Nowacki said it needs more to fill vacancies. Chief Tom Wydra made line-item reductions last week to free up money for more manpower. The force is down eight cops.

Looking for places to cut in an effort to lower the budget and correct the Finance Department’s errors, the Council took $7,000 from the the police gas account. “I think the size of that reduction is just looking for something else to reduce,” Nowacki said. “But I think personally that cutting another $7,000, $10,0000, $50,000 from the Board of Education could have been done.”

“Many were hoping not to have a tax increase—and not by inflating revenues,” she said.

“You’re going to find a lot of senior citizens won’t be here anymore,” said Michael Neville of Putnam Avenue. “When you pass this remember it’s for the whole town. Many people aren’t [at this meeting] because they’re working two and three jobs.”

“Unfortunately, what I hear tonight through the grapevine, the news is not good,” said community activist Mark Sanders of Carlton Street. “This is a tax increase after an historically high one last year. People are talking about moving away. They can’t afford it or don’t want to pay it.” He said he was frustrated that no one would listen to his well-researched argument that the town doesn’t need to borrow $55 million for the pension fund. The vote for the pension bonds was tabled last week but Henrici said they will return “soon” and was optimistic they would pass.

“I’ve heard no one tell me I’m wrong,” he said. “It seems that people are responding to the political pressures. I’m asking you to do something tonight. Just lead.”

“I don’t mind paying for the fire services and the garbage pickup and police, but something’s gotta be done,” said taxpayer Charles Mosher.

Bill Burns of Dunbar Hill Road ended public input. “The decisions are already made. The votes are here. That’s politics. I’d like to use Mr. Jackson’s phrase, ‘Boom.’ Politics is what drives the town. You can protest [against excessive spending] but it’s all about politics. We have ended up with champagne taste and a beer barrel budget.

“One woman said, ‘Please don’t cut the Board of Education budget for nine years and then I will move. Hamden has a 25 percent house rollover. The highest in the state. Come to Hamden! Use our services and then move to Woodbridge,” said Burns.

He predicted in five years another elementary school will be needed. “Go back to that [school department] line item tonight and adjust it,” he implored the 15 humans behind the bench.

“Changes are going to have to come,” Burns wrapped up.

School Budget Juggle

Flanagan made a motion: Reduce the education budget by $1,897,605, since Henrici moved slightly over $2 million in school revenue from the school side to the town. This is the first time that money has been transferred. After he made the switch, the mayor upped the Board of Ed’s request from $72.7 million to $74.6 mill.

“As far as I’m concerned it was a sneaky way to get in $1.9 million,�? said Flanagan. “It was two lawyers [Henrici and School Board Chair Michael D’Agostino] talking.”

Leng jumped to the mayor’s defense. “The move of revenue was recommended by the auditors,” he said.

“We went through this shell game the other night. That $2 million goes to the school no matter if it goes through [Finance Director] Mr. Betz’s office, through the Fire Department or through the roof of this building,” sad Flanagan.

“I know it doesn’t make sense for a retired teacher to say I agree with Mr. Flanagan. We need to do something this evening,” said Noble.

“I also agree with my colleagues,” said Colaiacovo. “I supported [a school cut] a couple of nights ago. If they run short [of money] and they show us, we’ll be there for them.”

“If you’re cutting $2 million from a budget that you’ve taken $2 million of revenue that’s $4 million,” said Leng. “You have to understand it’s not giving the Board what they asked for.”

“In response, it’s not $4 million,” said Flanagan.

His motion passed 8-7, with Leng, Schomaker, Fitch, Gorman, Callahan and Pascarella casting dissenting votes.

A Man in a Suit Appears

At around 8:15 p.m., shortly after the vote to slash nearly $2 million from the school budget, D’Agostino arrived in Council Chambers after being alerted by cell phone. He quite visibly stood in the back of the room in his signature dark suit, eyes planted firmly on the Council.

A short while later, the Democrats caucused over the school cut.

It was reminiscent of a scene from the movie “Godfather Part II,” when the character Michael Corleone (played by Al Pacino) was on trial for his mafia crimes. A “family” member was prepared to rat him out in exchange for lifelong protection from the feds. But when the snitch unexpectedly saw his brother in the courtroom—who was just flown in from his native Italy—he backed down.

When they emerged, Pascarella made a motion to decrease the ed budget by $500,000 to $74.1 million. It ultimately passed.

Gambardella asked if the $2 million in school revenue, that was transferred to the town coffers, could be used for town expenses. “Tell me how the town can use special ed money on town items?” he asked. But there were no clearcut answers to that question, which was asked often.

“I think I have a problem here,” said Wetmore. “Now all of a sudden we’re back to $74 million.” She made a “friendly motion” to cut $1 million, down from the original $1.8 million the Council voted to eliminate maybe a half-hour earlier.

“That’s a hostile motion,” said Pascarella.

Gambardella was peeved. “The Council agrees to a $1.8 million cut. They go into caucus and [it’s back to $74 million]! Who’s being represented here? It’s a $1 million reduction on a $74 million budget!”

“This argument about the state monies is spurious,” said Flanagan. “Mr. Sanders used the term ‘shell game,’ and that’s what we’re playing here. The taxpayers are getting mugged.”

“If you listen to the majority leader, Mr. Fitch, say it, we couldn’t find anything on the town side and we can’t find anything on the Board of Education side” to cut, Gambardella said. “And we added fictitious revenues.”

Schomaker said it was wrong to realize “extensive tax relief on the backs of kids. I do support the Board of Education and the taxpayers, by and large, support increases in the Board of Education.”

The motion to cut a million failed 7-8.

BOE Finance Committee Chair Ed Sullivan said he didn’t know how the $500,000 in reductions would be made. A special committee meeting is likely next week, he said.

D’Agostino was still irked. “I think what we saw tonight was as cowardly and hypocritical a vote as I’ve seen from this Council,” he said of the original motion to cut about $2 million, “particularly from Mr. Colaiacovo, Mr. Mewborn, Ms. Noble and Ms. Rowe. Less than a week ago this Council voted in front of the public—students, parents—for the mayor’s recommended budget. They waited to [motion for the cut] in the middle of the night without any of these people present.

“Furthermore,” D’Agostino said, “they added money to the Fire Department and added money to the library. They cut $2,000 out from the Police Department. They didn’t have the guts to make cuts from the town side that they are asking us to make.”

Copyright © 2007 Hamden Daily News, reprinted with permission. Originally published on 15 May 2007.

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