Local Budgets, Economic Development, Regionalization On The Minds Of Area Selectmen

Clinton First Selectman Willie Fritz loves his job. And, there are times, he says, when it can be trying.

"You have to have a thick skin," he said. "Not everyone's going to agree with you. Nor should they. That's democracy. Still, you can't take it personally."

Fritz made his comments during a recent meeting of Shoreline Men Over Sixty at the First Congregational Church in Madison's Hubley Hall. Fritz was a guest speaker, along with Guilford First Selectman Joseph Mazza, and Madison First Selectman Fillmore McPherson.

One down, two to go

Mazza is in the enviable position of having a budget that has already passed. His new budget will result in a 3.34 percent increase in the mill rate. Clinton and Madison have their votes coming up. Clinton is seeking a 1.94 increase, Fritz said, while Madison's increase is 0.72.

Fritz said, so far, opposition to the budget has been fairly muted.

"Last year, we had the budget fail, so we rolled up our sleeves this year and put together a budget with an overall increase of less than 2 percent," he said. "It's a status quo budget. There is nothing new for the Board of Education or the town."

Clinton making do

Fritz said Clinton has been making do where it can. He cited as an example, the town hall, which has had a leaky roof, on and off, for quite a while. "People were moving their desks rather than fixing the roof," he said, adding that it was time to take on repair projects like that. The town also plans to restore its old police station to create a space for its Meals on Wheels program, which serves residents regionally in towns that include Madison.

He said Clinton also is planning to get rid of some of its municipal buildings that are no longer needed. "Fix them and sell them, that's the plan," he said.

The town also is contemplating a new high school. One possibility would be to move the high school location and use the current location, which is close to highways and in a prime commercial area, for economic development. That could generate tax revenue that could offset part of the cost of building a new high school, he said.

Budget season quiet so far

"Budget season has been quiet so far," he added. "Almost eerily quiet. We hope it passes. If it doesn't pass then, sorry, we're down to people. And we have a lot of good people working for the town and we don't want to cut them."

Mazza was the next to speak and he said he was initially a little nervous about the budget's prospects for passing. But pass it did, and on the first try. While the 3.34 percent increase was the highest of the three area towns, he noted that it is a smaller increase than last year, when it was 3.94 percent, and the year before that, when it was 4.4 percent.

He said he currently is negotiating labor contracts, to make sure they reflect current economic realities. He said labor contracts currently in place were negotiated prior ot 2008.

Negotiating in the real word, in the real economy

"We're no longer looking at 3 to 3 1/4 increases," he said. "We've seen the end of the era. We are now negotiating in the real world, and in the real economy."

After an extended debate in town, he said, the developers of the so-called "rock pile" at 1919 Boston Post Road in Guilford realized they would not  be able to include Costco in the development, after heated opposition from merchants and others in town. "So it'll go to Branford and they'll get the tax revenue and we'll still have the same problems" of it potentially drawing business away from local merchants, he said. The owners of the rock pile are now courting other retailers, "but we're  back at first base."

New property taxes, new high school possible in Guilford

Nearby, across the street, an age-restricted residential development for people over 55 years old is under consideration. That could generate about $500,000 to $700,000 in new property taxes, he said.

Guilford is also interested in building a new high school, a plan that will go to referendum June 14th. The project, which originally would have cost about $112 million, is now an $87 million project, with about $62 million of that slated to come from the state.

McPherson went last and he also talked about the town budget, which is due to go to referendum Tuesday, May 17th. is "the lowest I can ever remember. We need to get out and support that. If that doesn't make it, we start whacking services."

McPherson added that budget season can be challenged due to what he called "pothole syndrome."

"People say 'I don't want to spend money to fix the potholes in the street ... except for my street," he said.

The town's new senior center should be ready to open November 1st, he said. And the town's new ambulance garage should be ready in September. He thanked the First Congregational Church for allowing the senior center to operate there while the new center is under construction.

One of the first questions from the audience was about regionalization, and when area towns were going to start doing more. The selectmen replied that some regional efforts are already underway. Madison and Guilford, for example, run a together, and have a probate court in common. They all agreed, however, that regional efforts do not always save as much money as constituents might think.

McPherson said the town was saving a little bit of money after combining probate courts with Guilford, but that the savings amounted to a couple of thousand dollars. "But we are always looking at these kinds of things in an effort to save money."