Whether it’s the fact that we’re getting on in years or we’re havin’ more fun than we ought to, it seems 2022 is flying by at break-neck speed. Here we are in April already, and Easter is jest 10 days away from the time yew git this missive. That’s quite something, considering Cobina is still vacuuming Christmas Tree needles from the carpets, and the heat is still pumpin’ away.
Here in the Asylum by the Sea, things are moving along as they do every time at this time o’ year. The City Council is now fully engaged in lookin’ over Herronner’s $168.3 million spending plan, and will be meeting several times this month in order to give it the usual gander. Whether the group determines to make changes or not remains to be seen, but given the high bar of a supermajority necessary to do setch things, usually the bets are on no big changes made during this time. Come this time next month, a new budget will be adopted come Hades or the flood, and things will settle in.
The people of Allingtown hafta be breathing a bit of a sigh of relief as they are not gonna see their fire taxes go up this go-round. Remember, Allingtown decided about 10 years ago to eliminate the independent fire districk, and the convoluted City of West Haven Fire Department: Allingtown was born, not to be confused with the West Haven Fire Department which is the First Taxation Districk, otherwise known as “The Center.”
Tennyrate, they won’t see their taxes go up this year, which, given the way things are going with inflation is probably a godsend. Over the last few years, they’ve seen the mill rate inch up, and many of the problems that overtook the former independent agency, could only be fixed by a tax hike.
Meanwhile, now that the city’s budget is published, the other two fire districks will be having their annual meetings and setting their own rates. These confabs ain’t what they used to be, for sure. Remember when hundreds would turn out? Heck it seemed every years there was a battle for Fire Commish in both the Center and West Shore Districks, with the budget going to referendum every May. Good times.
Setch ain’t the case anymore. The proxy wars that various political factions used to wage in those districts seem to be a thing of the past.
Getting back to the city budget for a sec, it seems the raises that some elected officials have earmarked in the new plan might be running afield of state statute. Raises can usually be put into budgets for elected officials, but they normally take effeck in the next term, not the current one. Let’s hope this doesn’t become a protracted situation with court cases and the like. We have enuff of that stuff.
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Speaking of court cases, Sammy Bluejay came by and reminded Cobina that one court case ain’t been settled yet, and is still wending its way through the judicial system. Back in November Barry Cohen, GOP candidate lost by jest a few votes, 32 effen I remember correckly. Well, at the time there were queries about the chains of custody and other problems with some ballots.
Whilst many have moved on it seems the courts haven’t. The case is still ongoing, and Sammy sez that discovery is still going on, and court sessions have been had, and the judge in the case hasn’t dismissed it. To quote Dorothy Parker, “What fresh Hell is this?” Or, what fresh hell is it gonna be. The fack the case hasn’t been sent to the trash bin should be a cause of concern for all involved, including John and Jane Q.
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Nelly Nuthatch came over and said she was conversing with some others and whilst there still seems to be an investigation into the illegal use of American Rescue Plan Act funds by federal law enforcement, some are in her words, “waiting for other shoes to drop.”
Whilst there are two people arrested and facing big charges, everyone knows that one o’ the things the feds do is try to git info and details from the principle perps, plying them with leniency promises and the like. No one knows what’s going on here, but there seems to be a sense inside the Actors Colony that more things are gonna come out, and more details might implicate other people. Nobody knows for sure, but the not knowing is certainly fueling the speculation.
We’ve seen some former high-ranking officials out-and-out accuse city officials of knowing more than they are letting on. And, when Frank Cieplinski was summarily dismissed in shame last month, he did call himself the “scapegoat.” This worrying some that the revelations of what the feds will find is gonna be bigger in scope than it is currently.
Nobody knows for sure, certainly. But, the mood in City Hall is setch that no one would be surprised effen more info comes out.
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Meanwhile, the Wag came in t’other afternoon for tea, and something a lit’le stronger. We were discussin’ the state waiving the gas tax that started last week. As yew know the Wag don’t suffer fools gladly. Come to think of it, he don’t suffer fools at all.
Tennyrate, the fack the state is gonna waive the 25 cents per gallon levy on gasoline, he’s wonderin’ what ripple effeck this is gonna have. The state ain’t exackly rollin’ in kopecks and any time a tax is waived – especially when it ain’t figgered in the budget – there is gonna be some problem kicked down the road.
While everyone is hailing the lifting of the tax, one wonders effen there are gonna be cost-cutting measures to soften the hit to the bottom line. It’s a real question when yew think about it. Don’t git me wrong, a 25 cent saving per gallon will help most people in this berg who live paycheck to paycheck, but yew know that the spenders in Hartford ain’t about to give up their padded budgets. So, what is gonna happen down the road? That seems to be question the Wag and others are beginning to ask.
Of course, with the federal government administration trying to strangle the economy, and inflation jest eating away at people’s spendable income, not much is gonna be realized in this move – except some eletion year virtue signalling.
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Speaking of election years, it’s always an election year for something. This year it’ll be all state offices and Congress. Workin’ in this office as we do, we see things as they come in from various locations, and the General Assembly’s PR offices are starting to crank out more and more stuff. Why? Yew know why.
The boys and girls in the assembly are looking toward November, and have a big stake in putting their names out front of the public. So, grin-and-grab photos, more press releases and more stuff will be churned out as we git closer to November. And the way this year is going, it’s gonna be here before yew know it.
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Iva Lootey, meanwhile, was ruminating about the Haven projeck. As Cobina said in her last missive, there seem to be more demolitions going on than before. But, Iva was concerned about the negotiations still going on with the Simon Group, the developer of the property. As yew remember Herroner mentioned that a new agreement was being hammered out so the city can have a better idea of what is happening over there.
The Simon Group has been playing things very close to the vest, with many people wonder what in blazes is going on, and what the timetable is for the projeck – something the city evidently has no clue on cuz that’s in the negotiation.
One hopes things are hammered out, and we can get an idea of when this thing is gonna git off the ground. I know there are a few in City Hall who are really frustrated about this. There are many outside o’ City Hall who’re frustrated as well.
With that bit o’ chatter, I’ll close this time till next, mitt luff und kizzez,