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ENFIELD TOWN COUNCIL
MINUTES OF A PUBLIC HEARING
APRIL 26, 2001
A Public Hearing of the Enfield Town Council was held in the auditorium of the JFK Middle School, 155 Raffia Road, Enfield, Connecticut on Thursday, April 26, 2001. Chairwoman Strom called the Hearing to order at 7:30 p.m.
ROLL-CALL Present were Councilmen Dodd, Egan, Falk, Fiore, Giddings, Hall, Kaupin, Mangini, Strom, and Vayda. Councilman McGuire was absent. Also present were Town Manager, Scott A. Shanley; Assistant Town Manager, Daniel Vindigni; Town Clerk, Suzanne F. Olechnicki; Director of Finance, Gregory Simmons; Director of Information Systems, Charlene Bond; Director of Libraries, Henry Dutcher; Assistant Director of Libraries, Mary Palomba.
Present from the Enfield Board of Education were Board members William Thomson, Lynn Scull, Roger Jones, Nicholas Sinsigalli, Joyce Hall, Kenneth Hilinski, Theresa Clavette, Thomas Osborn, Mary Heidi Tibbetts. Also present were Superintendent of Schools, Dr. John Gallacher; Assistant Superintendent, Anthony Torre.
Chairwoman Strom read the notice of Public Hearing which was published in the Journal Inquirer on April 21, 2001 as follows:
TOWN OF ENFIELD
LEGAL NOTICE
PUBLIC HEARING
PROPOSED BUDGET FY 2001-2002
THURSDAY, APRIL 26, 2001
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the TOWN OF ENFIELD shall hold a PUBLIC HEARING on the Proposed Annual Operating and Capital Budget for the Fiscal Year July 1, 2001 to June 30, 2002. The Public Hearing shall be Thursday, April 26, 2001 at 7:30 p.m. in the auditorium of the John F. Kennedy Middle School on Raffia Road, Enfield, CT. All electors and taxpayers will be provided an opportunity to express their opinions and further give written and/or oral comment regarding the proposed budget.
Also, in accordance with Chapter VI, Section 4 of the Town Charter, along with the Notice of Public Hearing was published a summary of the proposed expenditures and revenues, as well as the amount to be raised by taxation, and that this summary can be found on pages 2 and 3 of the budget.
At the Special Meeting of the Town Council on April 11, 2001, Resolution #5180 was adopted establishing the conduct for this hearing. The resolution is as follows:
RESOLVED, that the Town Council of the Town of Enfield values the opinions and comments of its constituents; and
WHEREAS, in accordance with Chapter VI, Section 4, of the Enfield Town Charter, any elector or taxpayer may have an opportunity to be heard regarding appropriations for the ensuing fiscal years and for the purpose of being heard on issues of vital community importance and concern; and
WHEREAS, the Town Council shall conduct a public hearing at the John F. Kennedy Middle School on Raffia Road;
RESOLVED, that the order of business of the 2001-2002 Budget Hearing be arranged as follows:
a. Presentation of the Town Managers Budget;
b. The Chairman of the Board of Education highlights Education Budget;
c. Comments from members of the public for the first time.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that each speaker be requested to register with the Town Clerk his name and address and that no speaker be allowed to speak more than five minutes each successive time the speakers name is called. Additionally, any speaker who has not registered with the Town Clerk will be allowed to speak only after those who have registered no longer wish to speak.
PRESENTATION OF THE TOWN MANAGERS BUDGET
Mr. Shanley stated this budget represents a 6.6% overall increase on the municipal side, and the majority of that is new debt service, which is the sale of bonds for the first part of the school projects and the beginning of the senior center project. He noted without the new debt, the municipal side is up about 2.4%.
He stated the Managers proposed budget includes $60,220,315 for Education, and thats a 6% increase for a total of $97.5 million dollars, or a 6.2% increase.
Mr. Shanley stated in addition to those two components, the General Fund, which is part of the municipal budget makes a contribution to the Capital Fund. He noted the Capital Fund total is about $5.7 million dollars worth of capital projects. He stated the General Fund contribution to that is about $2.6 million dollars in local property taxes directly to the capital projects, not including debt service.
He explained the news has not been very good this year on the revenue side. He explained the State Legislature is currently in the process of deliberating on a state budget for this and next year, and the Governors budget, as presented, provides no additional funds for the Town of Enfield. He stated during the preparation of the budget, the only number he has to go with is the Governors proposed budget. He pointed out revenue sharing has become a one-time appropriation on the part of the Legislature, primarily because of the states spending cap, therefore, its not something Enfield can count on every year. He noted any revenue sharing from the state cannot and is not included in this budget because the Governors budget did not propose it.
Mr. Shanley stated they do not show any Special Education revenue because the cost of special education for the Education Department is such now that all of it gets used on an annual basis.
He stated Enfield had a 1% value increase, which generated about $750,000 toward the budget. He noted this budget attempts to keep the reserves stable, which means the current revenue or savings that the town has should neither go up or down as a result of this budget.
Mr. Shanley stated on the municipal side of the budget, theyre making some investments in addition to maintaining the current service levels. He noted theyre strengthening their parks maintenance function. He pointed out the Council has been doing a lot of work on this over the last one to two years. He noted theyre looking at the Towns parks and recreational facilities, and theres definitely a need to improve maintenance. He pointed out current staff is working very hard to maintain parks, however, there are only seven people to cover 33 square miles, and this is inadequate.
He stated they are also looking at improving the experience factor at the Police Department by adding a Sargeant. He noted there are many new officers, and the average experience on a shift is sometimes three years, therefore, its believed the additional Sargeant is very important.
Mr. Shanley stated the Town is currently at 30 clients per day at the Adult Day Care, and its necessary to add a position to support this program.
He noted theyre seeking to manage the insurance costs through a risk management position. He noted the Town has been doing a lot of bidding which has helped with the health insurance this year and saved $450,000 between the Town and School side.
Mr. Shanley stated this budget would begin to expand the hours at the Pearl Street Library Extension by adding some part-time help.
He stated the General Fund contribution to the Capital Fund is about $2,600,000, and it does not increase this year. He noted this should be given some thought because the cost of doing capital projects increases every year. He stated because Enfield is not a community that is high debt and tends to do a lot of work on a pay-as-you-go basis, if the capital fund contribution isnt increased, the Town will get behind on capital projects. He noted all of the issues regarding park development that the Council has discussed have not yet been funded in a major way. There are buildings that this budget cannot address, i.e., library improvements, the North School, the old senior center, the Higgins Building, and the Hazardville Institute. He went on to note theres an enormous problem along the Scantic River with the collapse of the escarpment, which is estimated to cost approximately $8 to $10 million dollars.
He then reviewed areas where they are making a lot of progress, i.e., the senior center design is well underway and they hope to break ground this calendar year; the design work is nearly complete for four of the elementary school additions and the others are moving forward; about $6 million dollars worth of road and sidewalk work has been completed over the last couple years; three major bridges were completed (North Main Street, Old King Street, and Pleasant Street); a lot of drainage problems have been addressed; this budget provides funding for the Hazardville and Northgate streetscape; Freshwater Pond restoration project is now fully funded; play scape improvements at three different playgrounds are underway; acquisition of open space (a purchase of property along the Scantic River to add to the future Scantic River Park); two skateboard facilities to be built; VFW Park, additional two fields at the Shaker Soccer Complex; reconstruction and addition of tennis courts at Fermi, Enfield High, and JFK schools; auditorium work, science labs, and boiler work.
Mr. Shanley stated at this time theres a value of the property in Enfield of about $1.8 billion dollars, and this generates about $1.8 million dollars for one mil. He noted the current mil rate is 30.8, and the proposed mil rate would be 33.8, which is a 9.6% increase to generate $5,300,000 in new funds. He stated the proposed school budget with an approximately $3,400,000 increase has no associated increase from the state in school funding, therefore, that increase needs to come from local dollars. He stated his hope that as the Town Council gets further into the budget deliberations, theyll have a better idea of where the State budget is going to end up.
He stated his belief its important to look toward future trends to get an idea of where the Town is going and the kinds of expenses Enfield may be looking at in the future. He stated his belief there are a few things that they need to take a hard look at, i.e., another million dollars of debt service will be added next year because the balance of the school projects will be funded next year and the balance of the senior center project will be funded next year. He stated debt service will continue to increase over the next couple years.
Mr. Shanley stated the Town currently receives about $22,500,000 in revenue from the state for aid to education, and that has only gone up $100,000 in the last two years. He noted currently theres a lot of discussion at the state regarding the formula. He explained the formula generates a number of what municipalities should be getting in state funding. He stated in the recession of the early 1990s there wasnt money to fund the formula, therefore, the state put caps on the formula. He pointed out the cap does not effect Enfield, but it does effect a lot of communities. He stated if the cap is removed, towns such as Enfield probably cannot look forward to any significant increases in state aid for education.
Mr. Shanley stated they also need to look at the trends in growth in personnel, both at the Town of Enfield and the Board of Education. He stated the Town added about 34 positions in the last five to six years. He noted the school department added about 150 FTE positions in approximately the same period of time. He stated its important to look at these trends and it should be recognized this cant be done without raising taxes.
He stated his belief they need to also look at some of the federal issues, which directly impact Enfield, i.e., the denitrification requirement for Long Island Sound, however, it requires the Town to make huge investments in the sewer treatment plant, i.e., $800,000 for this year alone. He pointed out Enfield has been saving for three years for that. He noted this is federally mandated, but not federally funded. He stated the Town has to pay for this through local tax dollars.
Mr. Shanley stated the School Department spends around $8 million dollars on Special Education on an annual basis. He noted when the federal government passed the law mandating special education, they promised to pay 40% of that cost, however, they pay about 12%, and the rest of it is covered by the local property taxpayer.
He stated a future item to look at is internet taxation. He noted the $22.5 million dollars that the Town gets in school aid from the state comes from sales tax. He pointed out if sale tax is not being paid, that revenue isnt available, and if that revenue isnt available, it does not come to the towns. He noted the towns then end up paying more in property taxes.
Mr. Shanley stated the Appropriations Committee just passed their budget yesterday and gave the Town a $210,000 increase, and they earmarked $80 million dollars more statewide for education, however, they didnt define a formula so theres no way to know what that means and for whom. He pointed out this is basically setting up the Town for a final hours negotiation of the leadership of the legislature to determine how that funding is distributed. He pointed out they are and will be competing with higher education and property tax relief.
PRESENTATION OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION BUDGET
Board of Education Chairman, William Thomson, presented the Board of Education budget.
Mr. Thomson gave a general overview of the budget. He noted more detailed information is available this evening.
He stated the current school budget is $56.8 million dollars, and this year theyre looking for an increase of approximately 7.32%.
Mr. Thomson highlighted fixed costs as follows:
¦ Negotiated salary increases - $837,219 for certified and related costs
$202,590 for non-certified and related costs
¦ Insurance Increases - $913,929 for employee health/life
$16,099 for property/liability
¦ Transportation Increase - $85,023 for daily/SPED/Head Start/Activities
¦ Special Education Increase - $202,025 for Tuition
¦ Utilities Increase - $153,240 for fuel, water, electric
¦ Other Increases - $5,500 contribution to the Towns pension plan for non-certified staff; $2,000 for postage; $60,000 for software maintenance
Mr. Thomson then reviewed new items being offered in response to input from the public, i.e., additional classroom aides, additional sections of full-day kindergarten, high school sports, gifted and talented program, band uniforms, class sizes, security costs.
He stated one of the concerns is that a little more has to be done in the area of early education. He referred to a graph which shows about a third of Enfield students do not have a pre-school experience before entering the school system. He noted they would like to expand the full-day kindergarten classes from three to six.
Mr. Thomson stated they also want to deal at the early level with students at risk, i.e., students having difficulty with literacy and numeracy. He noted the way to address this is to develop a five-year strategic plan to look at what programs are necessary and determine what is and is not working. He presented a graphical representation of the at risk program, and this shows some of the goals of that program and what theyll be looking at over the next year or so.
He stated technology is an important goal of the Board. He noted theyve developed a new School Technology Department in order to help facilitate the School Departments use of technology. He stated theyre also in the midst of updating their ten-year old software that takes care of the grading and scheduling. He added they need to continue with the hardware, infrastructure and wiring for technology.
Mr. Thomson stated over the years people have expressed concern about class sizes, and the Board of Education has attempted to reduce class sizes. He noted they will strive to cap primary classes at 20 and increase course availability at the secondary level. He pointed out there is a shortage of teachers in certain specialties, especially at the secondary level, and this is an area that really needs to be addressed.
He stated another goal they will try to address is the reintroduction of a gifted and talented program; rebuild music and art programs; reading and math teachers for remediation; continue introducing the TLC reading program (an intensive reading program in the early years).
He stated people expressed interest in more extra curricular activities such as elementary after school programs; the restoration of JV hockey and JV golf.
Mr. Thomson stated some of the elementary schools are very large, and to help manage those schools, they would like to bring in an Assistant Elementary School Principal. He pointed out at this time, this would be just at Henry Barnard School. He stated they would like a Special Education Coordinator, however, this will not cost the Town anything because this would be funded through the Medicaid payments that they expect that Coordinator to collect for the school system.
He stated another Board goal is to continue to improve communications, i.e., through the Family-School Community Partnership.
Mr. Thomson then presented a graphical representation of the increase in students over the past ten years. He also presented a graph which showed staff added since Fiscal Year 1996/1997.
He showed another graph, which shows the percentage of the school budget thats supported by local property taxes.
PUBLIC COMMENTS
William Ballard, 321 Abbe Road
Read the following statement from the Enfield Republican Town Committee:
“The committee believes that the proposed budget and consequent tax increase would place an unfair and unnecessary burden on the taxpayers of Enfield and does not demonstrate the fiscal responsibility we expect from our Town leadership. As a committee we understand the approved referendum, our special obligations, and debt obligatory expenses cannot be reduced or eliminated. We believe cutting expenses in other areas, holding the line on requests for expansion and finding more cost effective operating procedures should offset increased costs.
It is the position of the Enfield Republican Town Committee that the proposed 2001-2002 Budget be modified to reflect a tax increase no greater than the national rate of inflation for the Year 2000, which is 3.4%. While reducing the proposed tax increase from 9.6% to 3.4% presents unique challenges, these are challenges that can and must be met. It is time for all Town management and the Board of Education to recognize the impact these individual priorities and requests have on each other and on the Town of Enfield as a whole. We recommend that all parties work together to meet the challenges and attain the requested goal which we hope you recognize is in the best interest of all Enfield residents and taxpayers.”
Speaking for himself, Mr. Ballard stated hes disappointed in the way the Board of Education budget is presented. He stated his belief it should have more information. He added his belief the Superintendent of Schools should make the presentation.
Margaret Jedziniak, 232 Abbe Road
Stated her belief the budget is much too high. She noted out of a proposed $60 million dollar school budget, $48 million dollars is for salary and benefits.
She stated her belief the Board of Education never gives a true figure of the positions they intend to add. She noted 815 positions were approved at budget time this past year, and 7.5 positions were added after the budget was set, making the number 822 budgeted positions. She pointed out theyre asking for 28 more positions this year. She estimated this as one paid position for less than eight pupils.
Ms. Jedziniak stated the average class size is 20.1 pupils, and she feels that should be small enough for class sizes. She questioned why there are so many children that cant read.
She voiced concern about funding for the Head Start Program. She went on to question a free standing building for Head Start, when the referendum called for an addition.
Nancy Bent, Abbewood
Stated her impression there was a lack of detail in the Board of Education budget. She noted she was told yesterday that supporting material would be presented at this evenings public hearing. She stated she finds it unacceptable to receive this information on the night of the hearing. She stated her belief people should have an opportunity to review this material in depth before a public hearing.
Ms. Bent stated her belief the Town budget should be approved through a referendum.
She stated if schools are to be held accountable for the performance of students, as the new administration in Washington has proposed, then teachers should be held accountable. She stated her belief teachers salaries cannot be used as a yardstick for measuring quality in education.
Ms. Bent stated if state regulations, state mandates, and especially unfunded state mandates are the source of the problem, then perhaps its time to fight this at the state level. She suggested perhaps towns should band together and present their case to the state. She stated her belief CCM should help lead the charge.
Kathleen Martin, 12 Hoover Lane
Voiced concern that theres a disparity between kindergarten class sizes at Eli Whitney and other schools in Enfield. She noted kindergarten class sizes at Eli Whitney have higher enrollment. She added her belief an additional kindergarten teacher at Eli Whitney is justifiable.
Joseph Saroce, 10 Briarwood Drive
Stated hes opposed to the total budget because he finds the Town Charter to be an undemocratic document which only allows the taxpayers of Enfield to speak at the budget hearing. He stated his impression this gives taxpayers no say in setting the budget because they are not able to take the budget to referendum. He stated his belief the referendum is a necessary tool for the taxpayers to have a true say regarding the budget process.
Mr. Sacroce stated his belief teachers and administrators are grossly overpaid. He recommended a 20% pay cut for administrators and teachers making the maximum, and that all Town employees and teachers and administrators pay 15% of their insurance benefits. He stated his belief this would bring them closer to reality with the real world. He pointed out these savings can be applied to buy new books or defray other expenses not related to the Board of Education Teacher/Administrator wish list.
He stated another objection that he has with the budget process is that all contracts are dictated behind closed doors by a union leaving the taxpayers with nothing more than to pay the bill.
Mr. Saroce stated he strongly feels the Town Council wastes a lot of money on consultation fees.
Mr. Saroce stated his belief students should dress appropriately for school. He noted these students will have to enter the workforce in the future. He pointed out companies want to pay wages for services rendered, rather than a conversational piece.
He stated his belief its wrong to pay big salaries for poor results and low to no accountability.
He concluded stating his hope the Town Council will make the necessary changes to the Town Charter so that the voters are given the right to vote on the budget.
Scott Vining, 10 Grove Road
Questioned the Records Manager position if its the job of the Town Clerk to control the records. He noted theres also a Deputy Town Clerk and an Assistant Town Clerk. He went on to note the Public Works Department has a Director of Public Works, Deputy Director of Public Works, and Assistant Director of Public Works. He stated his impression there are more “chiefs than indians”. He feels this budget is top heavy with administration.
He questioned why the Town approved Head Start cutting ties with CRT. He added his concern the Town will have to fund this program.
Mr. Vining pointed out 38% of Enfield people are on fixed incomes.
Robert Tkacz, 1300 Enfield Street
Stated his concern the country is sliding into a recession period and for that reason the Town should fund just the basic needs.
Mr. Tkacz questioned why the Public Works budget is so much higher than other towns of comparable size in Connecticut. He noted one area where this department could save money is to pick up the material thats currently being picked up by Somers Sanitation. He pointed out the Town could realize a cost savings by picking up its own trash.
As concerns the school budget, Mr. Tkacz stated his belief theres a declining enrollment and sliding test scores.
Mr. Tkacz concluded stating he hasnt ever seen the Superintendent of Schools making the budget presentation.
Mrs. L. Collins, Hazardville Section of Enfield
Read the following enrollment figures for kindergartens:
- Alcorn 18
- Barnard 20
- Crandall 22
- Enfield Street 21
- Hale 20
- Memorial 17
- Parkman 17
- Stowe 15
- Whitney 20
Mrs. Collins stated her belief the Board of Education should have been slowed down years ago. She urged the Council to cut back on taxes for people on fixed incomes.
Jack Sheridan, 7 Buchanan Road
Stated his belief the Town needs to hold the line on the budget. He noted the cost of living is about 4.3%, and the Town is considering a 10% increase in its budget. He feels its time to run the Town like a business. He pointed out everyone else is downsizing, and the Town needs to downsize. He noted if its necessary that employees pay part of their benefits, then thats what should be done.
He requested the Council try its best to make property tax relief start here.
Laurence Avery, 148 Pleasant Street
Highlighted four main points:
- Education sports teams are doing well, as well as the robotics team at Fermi, both high school bands and chorus
- Public Safety voiced support of Public Safety requests
- Crosswalks in town need to be repainted
- Sidewalks around Freshwater Pond in need of attention
- Supports subsidy for public transportation
Mr. Avery urged the Council to review the budget carefully and cut only where necessary without hurting the people of Enfield.
Carol Bigda, Hazardville Section of Enfield
Stated she and her family have all worked hard all their lives and paid their bills on time. She pointed out she lives on a small budget. She noted many elderly people are having their homes taken away because they cant pay their taxes.
Ms. Bigda stated if she can keep her budget down, she hopes the Town can do the same.
Douglas Finger, 44 Buchanan Road
Stated his belief unions have done a lot for this town. He questioned what is done with the money left over when positions arent filled and equipment isnt purchased.
Mr. Finger stated the Enfield Soccer Club donated $12,000 to $14,000 to pay for the aeration at the Shaker Soccer Complex. He noted perhaps they should consider asking the clubs to help continue funding recreational projects.
He stated his children are doing well in Enfield Public Schools. He noted hes especially impressed with the teachers at Nathan Hale School and Mr. Bell, the Principal at Hale.
Mr. Finger reminded everyone there will be a Workers Memorial Day tomorrow at 3:30 p.m.
Arnold Christensen, 11 Overhill Road
Stated if the budget is passed, it will cost the average homeowner $239 more a year.
Mr. Christensen stated his belief people were misled with the school referendum and number of students. He stated his belief the student numbers are nowhere near what the people were told. He stated his impression the Towns population and student population are going down.
He stated his belief this budget has to be looked at, however, he believes its hard if there is binding arbitration.
Mr. Christensen stated the Council should take a hard look at this budget and the suffering that will result if the Council passes the budget as proposed.
Mrs. L. Collins, the Hazardville Section of Enfield
Stated her hope the Town Council listens to the people who have spoken this evening and keeps the budget down.
Laurence Avery, 148 Pleasant Street
Stated his belief progress is happening in Enfield, i.e., expansions in the area of the Enfield Square, the new Kohls Department Store, etc. He noted these new businesses bring in a lot of taxes.
Edward Poremba, 8 Overhill Road
Suggested placing budget books in the public libraries.
Mr. Poremba referred to recreation in Enfield and expressed his surprise that the Town did not think of having an ice hockey rink for the community.
He stated his belief the Town needs to restore accountability.
Scott Vining, 10 Grove Road
Voiced concern about Head Start pulling away from CRT and the risk to reimbursement monies for the new Head Start building.
As no others wished to speak, Chairwoman Strom closed the Public Hearing at 9:24 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Jeannette Lamontagne
Secretary to the Council
Suzanne F. Olechnicki
Town Clerk
Clerk of the Council
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