Thursday, May 24, 2012

Without Consolidation, Cuts Residents Face 30 Percent Tax Increase

Mayor Tim O'Brien
Posted by Frank Smith at 24.5.12

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

How can O'Sherwood call it consolidation when his own office is expanding and giving out raises?

May 24, 2012 at 10:31 AM
Anonymous said...

So much for his phony promise of no tax increases. I guess he forgot to clear that one with his boss--Sherwood.

May 24, 2012 at 11:13 AM
Anonymous said...

BRISTOL CT - How structural budget deficit hinders the town of Bristol, CT ?

In an unexpected twist, Republican City councilors in City of Bristol pushed for spending cuts in a proposed $177 million municipal budget but Board of Finance members refused to support the move.

The spending plan for the coming fiscal year won approval on a 9-5 vote that saw four Republican councilors and one finance commissioner argue unsuccessfully for lowering the 6 percent property tax called for in the budget. The majority turned down proposals to slice spending on parks, the library, a contingency account, money set aside for salary hikes and other measures that might have reduced the tax burden a bit.

The fiscal oversight panel, created during the Great Depression of 30's - to put a check on politicians’ spending, said that last-minute cuts would hurt services, weaken the city’s finances and undermine its work during the past few months.

Finance Chairman Rich Miecznikowski said the tax hike will hit the average homeowner for about $240 extra in the fiscal year beginning July 1, an amount he called “minimal.” But Bob Fiorito, president of the Bristol Taxpayers Association, said the City has “a spending problem” that has already created a gap of as much as $10 million between the needs and revenues for the 2013-14 budget. Stop moving the problem down the road, he said, as two dozen supporters in blue T-shirts cheered him on.

Bristol Mayor Art Ward said he is going to create a new task force to identify ways to reduce spending or raise revenues. Its report will be due in October, the mayor said. Rich Miecznikowski said he believes the task force will help make a tax freeze possible next year. Bob Casar, a finance board member who sided with the GOP councilors, said more could be done now by making cuts. He said the City keeps kicking the can down the road, only to find out it’s a cul-de-sac.

City Councilor Henri Martin said the city “is running on fumes. The tank is empty.” He said there is a "structural budget deficit" problem that can only be resolved by slicing spending, particularly given the likelihood of state and federal help continuing to erode.

Mayor Ward said nobody likes to increase taxes. But, the mayor said, it is urgent that we do so if we are to maintain the city’s strong financial condition and excellent bond rating.

The new budget raises the mill rate in Bristol to 28.75 mills, or $28.75 per $1,000 of assessed property value. Thus a house worth $200,000, assessed at 70 percent of its value, would wind up with a tax bill of $4,025. That’s $211 more than the homeowner paid this year.

Opponents said the city of Bristol has to start taking control of its spending or the future looks bleak. City Councilor Henri Martin said the City would be better off preparing “a soft landing” by making some cuts now rather than putting everything off for major surgery later with the proposed $177 million dollars municipal budget.

May 24, 2012 at 11:44 AM
Anonymous said...

The current Mayor of City of New Britain needs to create a new task force, a fiscal oversight panel, to identify ways to reduce spending - raise revenues, plus putting a check on politicians' spending?

May 24, 2012 at 1:29 PM
Anonymous said...

Note the last post started "a REPUBLICAN majority on the city council". Image,,,,,

As Ronald Reagan said government didn't get a deficit because of revenue problem they just spend too much.

May 24, 2012 at 2:14 PM
Anonymous said...

he has accomplished what even few Democrats can--he even looks like sleaze!

May 25, 2012 at 8:25 AM
Anonymous said...

Without Consolidation - New Britain Residents Could Face 30 % Tax Increase?

Mayor Tim O’Brien said without his consolidation plan being established at City Hall, plus employee cuts throughout the departments, both Residents & Taxpayers would be forced to paid 10 mill tax hike which would amount to about a 30 percent increase in taxes. It’s my responsibility to have a balanced city budget, O'Brien said. No more tax increase.

A formal city consolidation plan is set for July 2012 in order to reduce the city's $30 million budget gap, O’Brien said. He would prefer that the consolidation plan take place over a period of time through employee attrition.

We need to reduce the size of the city’s payroll to balance the budget, O'Brien said. The reality is we have tough budget decisions. Everything is still on the table, but it does appear that some department head positions will be cut.

There are productive discussions going on with the City's labor unions, O’Brien added. I have made it a strong point that the problems were not created by City workers. The problems that we now have are things the City inherited.

Money was previously committed over a period of 10 to 15 years creating a Budget Deficit. He said, there is a structural budget problem that can only be resolved by cutting spending, with the likelihood of state and federal help continuing to erode.

May 25, 2012 at 8:47 AM
Anonymous said...

Duh you idiot O'Brien! Monies committed 10 to 15 years out? WTF is he talking about? Pensions? The only control of collective bargaining post employment benefits is with healthcare and raises. Increases to a bargaining units long term post retirement benefits should not hit the city's books until many years down the road. Funding those issues now is ludicrous. Police and Fire are in a separate system managed by the city and all the rest of the employees are in the state MERF system. The state has artifically increased the city's contributions to their fund by more than 15% over the past three years because of their own mismanagement of the funds. Appeals went nowhere and you the taxpayers are required to fund this mess. Making things sound as if the past administration gave away the farm to unions couldn't be more laughable coming from this union loving bunch!

May 25, 2012 at 10:13 AM
Anonymous said...

you can almost see the sleaze dripping off his palms!

May 26, 2012 at 3:40 PM

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