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Showing posts from February, 2024

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

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Charter Revision Commission. Budget limit debate on YouTube video starts at about 1:24:00 The Charter Revision Commission (CRC) approved a budget referendum, but only if officials proposed a budget that exceeded a 7% increase. If the budget fails in the referendum, it would automatically cap at 7%. By forcing a referendum on any budget exceeding 7%, the CRC proposal effectively imposes a budget cap. While this might sound like a way to control taxes, it overlooks a fundamental issue: property tax rates fluctuate due to factors outside the town’s control. The 2023 budget year proves this point: even with a 5.4% budget increase, homeowners saw their tax bills jump by 8-9%. The increase in taxes wasn't entirely due to spending—it happened because property taxes are affected by multiple conditions. A budget cap wouldn't have prevented these increases. Enfield's problem is revenue. Property taxes must make up the difference when other revenue sources decline—whether state aid, ...
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Enfield Democrats are in big trouble

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Despite leading in voter registrations, the Enfield Democratic Town Committee seems to lack a winning election strategy. Until the 2021 election, the Republicans had controlled the Town Council for 14 years straight. But in that year, the Democrats secured seven of the 11 council seats, a significant victory. However, last November, voters reinstated the Republicans to control the Town Council. The Democrats have not fully come to terms with the magnitude of this loss. Some Democrats claim they lost the election by about one percent—a figure apparently obtained by aggregating all votes cast for every candidate, from Council to Constable. This perspective, however, amounts to self-deception. The Democrats were decisively defeated in the Town Council election, with a voting margin exceeding 8%. In essence, they were soundly beaten, but the situation is even more dire. In their most recent campaign finance filing, the Democrats reported contributions totaling $12,485. In contrast, the Rep...
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