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Showing posts from October, 2018

Charter Commission proposes 7% budget cap, a fix that won't solve the problem (With correction)

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Charter Revision Commission meeting CORRECTION FROM ORIGINAL POST:  In my initial analysis, I incorrectly connected two distinct fiscal years when discussing budget increases and tax impacts. This fixes it. Here's what happened: The 4.5% tax increase in 2022 was based on the FY2023 budget ( July 2022 - June 2023 ). Town spending decreased by 1.19% in FY2023 , but taxes still went up because the 2021 revaluation shifted the tax burden to homeowners . When residents opened their tax bills in July 2022, they saw the 4.5% tax increase. Using a sample 1,200 SF single family house Southwood Acres, property taxes went from  $4,265 → $4,457 or a $192 increase. [For context, Social Security recipients received an 8.7% Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) for their 2023 benefits, reflecting the high inflation of 2022.] đź“Ś Cause: This tax hike was driven by the 2021 revaluation , which shifted more of the tax burden from commercial to residential properties, not by increased spending ....
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JFK middle school renovation is a battle over Enfield’s future

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JFK Middle School, Enfield CT Enfield voters are being asked to approve $84 million to renovate the John F. Kennedy Middle School . The town’s share of the cost is $27 million. The state is paying for 70 percent of the work. Whether town voters will approve it is a major problem. The referendum failed in 2017 , about 3,640 votes to 3,200. The town trimmed back the project from $95 million. The town share was reduced from $35 million. It’s hard to know whether the reduction in cost has made a difference in support. The opposition is in evidence on Facebook Enfield CT Open Forum . It’s frustrating. The opponents are mostly just complaining about taxes, and accusing the town of mismanagement. The big risk is state funding. The state kept its 70% reimbursement in place, despite the 2017 referendum rejection. That’s a hefty commitment by the state. If the referendum fails a second time, it’s possible -- probably very likely -- that the state will withdraw its commitment. Th...
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Location: Enfield, CT 06082, USA
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Stefanowski's climate change position makes him unacceptable as governor

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Middle Road, Enfield CT In Connecticut’s gubernatorial race, the Republican nominee, Bob Stefanowski has no real position on climate change. In this respect, he is running as a clone of President Donald Trump. His goal is to appeal to the state’s Trump voters, and this involves dismissing or marginalizing climate change as an issue. Climate change isn’t mentioned in Stefanowski’s platform, and when asked about his climate position at a public forum, Stefanowski said: “I don’t understand the science of it, but there’s enough data points to know that there is a problem,” the CT News Junkie recently reported. That should sound familiar. The Republicans, nationally, adopted the “I’m not a scientist” as a dodge to a serious discussion about climate change. This is what Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said on the issue. “What I have said repeatedly is I’m not a scientist,” according to a  report in The Hill . The basics of climate change science is something that ever...
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