On Monday, December 19th, in the midst of the hectic holiday season, Tolland residents and leaders gathered to create a common understanding about important issues the town is currently facing.
Participants had a unique opportunity to formulate important questions by talking in small groups that included Town Manager Steve Werbner, School Superintendent Bill Guzman, and representatives from the Town Council and Board of Education. One participant noted that her group was so engaged in a lively dialogue with Town Council member Rick Field that they only listed one question. Anyone who came to the meeting looking for easy answers would be disappointed.
The theme “We need to all be in this together” ran from the first Q&A question to the closing comments.
“How do we get away from Steve’s budget vs. Bill’s Budget?” kicked off the Q&A. Bill, Steve and Town Council officials took turns explaining in depth Town Charter requirements as well as the difference in roles, highlighting a difference between intended process and actual perception.
How do we get away from Steve’s budget vs. Bill’s Budget?
This question was left open, with participants voicing that regardless of these obstacles, nothing is set in stone. This subject was returned to in closing comments. Leaders were asked to come together in the end on one budget to the town, best given the circumstances, that they agree to support.
Steve Werbner voiced a theme, “If we continue to do the same things we’ve done every year, we’ll continue to get the same result we get every year.” Steve says people just don’t understand the impact of their vote. The school budget is unclear on what will be cut and what will be funded. When asked, “What are people willing to accept as far as level of services,” discussion came back to the fact that people don’t know the important details represented in the budget they are asked to vote for and seem surprised later.
What are people willing to accept as far as level of services?
Since the consequences for failing to pass the budget are not visible when voting, the question simply becomes, “Do I want my taxes raised?” Board of Education leaders detailed the complexities that make defining service levels difficult to pin down. For example, after budget adoption significant health insurance adjustments are negotiated allowing increased service in other areas. Participants pushed back, saying availability of hundreds of pages of budget documentation will not help voters understand the implications. Voters need a better way to get their arms around what is on the table, so they cast a conscious vote for a bottom line number and the programs that are included, getting away from year after year of elimination of a few programs at a time.
It was suggested that with a charter change, the BOE’s School budget and Town Council’s town budget could be separate votes. Participants pushed back against this idea, saying Tolland’s budget needs to be “our budget,” with both group taking responsibility rather than working against each other. Again, it was recognized that there are no easy answers.
What are our options for resource sharing?
Leaders were asked to talk about options for resource sharing, for example insurance policies or where there are overlaps of responsibilities. Some is already being done through two regional agencies, EASTCONN,http://www.eastconn.org, and CREC, http://www.crec.org. These agencies pool purchasing power for reduced supply expense. In addition, through EASTCONN and a new state law, we are pursuing better insurance rates. CREC is working on collaborative effort to pool transportation costs.
Participants wanted to know how we define excellence in education in Tolland, and where we stand on the continuum of educational needs? It was stated that Tolland is challenged to meet the needs of students outside the middle of the continuum. Implications beyond individual students were noted. For example, Tolland’s lack of gifted programs is seen as an obstacle to the town’s desire to host to a high tech business corridor. It was felt that some of our neighboring towns do better. Mandates were discussed, many of which apply to special needs students. Leaders were urged to focus just on working to improve what they can control. Participants voiced that there are implications on property values when education is cut. Education is an asset to Tolland.
Looking for additional funding sources, leaders were asked about commercial development down the road. Participants were told, commercial development is important, but will take years to come to fruition and even when fully developed will not change the funding landscape all that much.
The session came to a close with Jack Scavone, Town Council Chairman, highlighting our challenge moving forward. He has spent the last six weeks digging into the budget. Jack again stated that there are no easy answers. He says, the facts are the facts. Most of the cost drivers have already been decided. We have contractual increases on the way and we have a $2,000,000 problem. Divide it anyway you want, 15,000 residents, 5,500 households. Jack says, We can’t change the system. We won’t get a dime from anyone else, this is our problem, and it is not just about this year. We are all here doing the same thing, the facts don’t lie. Together, we have a real challenge deciding how to accomplish what we want and need and what we can afford.
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This meeting on Tolland Patch: http://tolland.patch.com/articles/reaching-for-a-united-tolland-budget
