Posts

Showing posts from March, 2021

The 7% Budget Referendum: A Political Weapon, Not Reform

Image
This was the budget data the Charter Revision Commission examined. It shows the percentage of budget increase by year. The budget increase does not translate to a tax increase. In 2023, the Democrats for instance, lowered spending but taxes still increased. The party and COLA columns were added by author.  The Charter Revision Commission’s 7% budget referendum proposal isn’t reform — it’s a political weapon. It's disguised as fiscal responsibility, but it’s engineered to shift blame, confuse voters, and lock Enfield into bad policy. There are some good ideas in the commission’s package. But this one? It shouldn’t go to the ballot. Here’s what the proposal says: If town expenditures increase by more than 7% over the current fiscal year, it would trigger a referendum. That sounds reasonable — until you understand the facts. The 7% Fiction First, Enfield hasn’t approved a 7% budget hike in at least 15 years — likely far longer. No council, Republican or Democrat, proposes a 7% hike u...
Post a Comment
Read more

Climate change and increasing housing density, my testimony on SB 1024

Image
The hearing on this legislation is Monday, March 15. Here is my submitted testimony:  Dear Sen. Cassano, and Rep. McCarthy Vahey, and members of the Planning and Development Committee. I'm writing concerning bill S.B. 1024 , specifically its provision to increase density around transit and middle housing. I fully support these provisions. Thank you for the opportunity to comment. We are in the early stages of catastrophic climate change. We see rising temperatures, storms of enormous power, unusual weather generally, drying conditions that fuel fires, rising seas, and other climate-related problems. Over the coming decades, climate changes will prompt a northern migration. It may well be the most significant driver of growth in our state in the next 50 years. Climate change is our problem as well. Our average temperature has increased 2.8 degrees Fahrenheit from 1970-2018. (See Climate Central April 2019, Earth Day report). Along with Rhode Island, Connecticut is one of the faste...
Post a Comment
Read more