In jest a few days winter will officially be over and spring will be here. Whilst things are getting a bit warmer, yew know how March is in these parts. Warm and sunny one day, and the cold, rainy and gray the next. Things really don’t warm up around here until May, and even then it’s a crap shoot. “Cooler by the shore” is a line we hear every day whilst the rest of the state is basking.
Here in our lit’le corner of the universe, things are really startin’ to heat up, politically speaking. As yew were told in our last missive, Herroner was lookin’ to change the budget schedule so that she know exackly how much money she’s gonna get from Hartford. The proximate cause of this is special education funds and setch, but we’ve seen this drama before, and each and every municipality has as well.
The worst one was, of course, 2017 when the state didn’t pass its own budget until October after going back and forth on it for months. That put this berg and every other in a difficult position. Money that was expected, and put in the budget (based on notification from the state) was axed, and everyone had to go back to the drawing board.
The Wag has said for years there is a direct line betwixt that event and the fack the city went into receivership. I guess we can debate that till we’re blue in the face, but the matter is it didn’t help a city that was pinching pennies until Lincoln wept.
Sooo, the council gave its approval to the sked, and will have about three weeks to review it. Sammy Bluejay sez the timeline looks tight as the budget will be presented May 6, and then set a public hearing and then have time to review it before the drop-dead date of May 31 as mandated by the General Assembly. Usually, the council has about six weeks to review things as the charter mandates the foist Thursday in May as the date the budget is supposed to be in place.
Of course, Herroner has used a codicil in the state’s debacle budget year that allows cities to override their charters for special circumstances. I guess trying to figger out whether extra money will help fill an 8 million kopeck hole is special enuff. We jest saw the backs of the Municipal Accountability Review Board, we don’t want to invite them back so soon.
So, in one respeck this budget season is gonna be quite interesting in its own way.
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Before we go any further, we wanna send our best regards to Ed O’Brien, former CEO of the Actors Colony and prayers that he gets better. Whilst we may have disagreed with him at times concerning decisions he made as a politician, we never thought less of him as a human being. Politics is one thing, humanity another. We wish him healing and many happy years to come.
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Meanwhile, the deficit has brought up an issue that Neil Cavallaro, the major domo of the school system is trying to git answers to – with little response. And his gripe might be with the city to a certain extent, but it’s also to the state and the supposed overseers of spending and allocations.
One of the things that Neil is upset about is the fack that money set aside for school districks that are considered “distressed” is not fully being deposited into the BOE coffers – and haven’t been for several years. So-called “Alliance” funding that is over and above what the state gives in Education Cost Sharing funding (ECS).
Accordin’ to Cavallaro, the funding from the state to the city has been perty steady for the last 15 years or so at about $41 million, give or take. Alliance funding is then supposed to go directly to the BOE. Well, it hasn’t according to the superintendent.
Over the last several years, the city has taken the grants and put a portion of it into the BOE accounts, whilst keeping about $4 million to help fund the city side of the budget. And, this money is being shown as revenue. Cavallaro estimates that over the years, based on his documentation, the city has siphoned off about $31 million. That’s a big siphon. Meanwhile, the funding of the education system has remained pretty much flat, taking into consideration increases in salaries and benefits and other expenses that go up yearly.
Cavallaro thinks the city’s taking the money ain’t exactly according to Hoyle, and has sent queries to the state Bored of Ed, the Office of Management and Budget, which methinks operates the MARB, and anyone else who might be involved.
His query: if this is supposed to be for education spending, 1) how can state agencies who are supposed to be overseeing these allocations let this happen? and 2) how did the MARB and the auditors let this go on for so long?
One would be accurate to call those apt questions.
I guess whatever inquiries he’s made to officials upstate have been met with shrugs and a distinct feeling that this is a kettle of fish nobody wants to start stirring. And you gotta figger that effen this city is doing a lit’le skimmin’ off the top, other cities are doing it as well. Things like this are not one-off, they are usually systemic. Our politicos might be smart, but it takes world-class guile to come up with this idea as a recurring way to balance part of the books.
Where this goes from here is anybody’s guess. But, with the BOE under scrutiny for a fund balance issue, these are the things that crop up when things get put under a microscope. Stay tuned!
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Nelly Nuthatch came by and sez that she was by the shore t’other day and saw that a true sign of spring is happening. Trucks and graders were out at Prospect Beach putting in new sand for the new season. Rebuilding our beach sand every year is like some wait for pitchers and catchers to appear at spring training or the first crocus to pop through the ground.
And, effen yew want another sign things are on the upswing, we jest got word about the Sandy Pernt Association having one of its spring clean up efforts at the bird sanctuary off the aforementioned point. It’s one o’ those things that surely shows things are moving. Before yew know it, things will be gearing up for the Memorial Day weekend parade and rites.
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Robby Raven came by and sez he perch himself jest onto the Savin Rock t’other day to say that he’s keepin’ an eye on the former Savin Rock Conference Center/The Kelsey. Work that has been suspended for the last couple o’ months, obviously for winter, have perked back up again.
A temporary fence has been set up around the whole perimeter of the building and parking lot all the way out to Capt. Kangaroo Boulevard. And building materials and real people are working inside. Robby is really interested in how much of the building as to be revamped or torn out as the work gits underway.
Remember that building started out as Phyllis’ Restaurant way back circa 1970, and has several iterations since. Not much has been done to the building, which has not aged well. So, it’ll be quite something to see just what rehab is done and what reconstruction takes place.
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Meanwhile over on Beach Street, the developer of the Debonair Motel property is working to clear out all the debris of the foist round of demolition. The only thing that remains of the building is the outer wall. Then what happens remains to be seen. We hear-tell there are plans for condos or some residential construction – no surprise there. What configuration it takes or how many is still up in the air we’re told. Still much to be done red tape-wise. Soooo, we shall see.
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Over in the Borough of Allingtown, Madame Olga has been polishing her crystal tryin’ to figger out when some movement will be made on the reopening of a library branch over there. It’s been about six years now since the Piantino Library was ousted from its longtime home, the former Forest School – no Allingtown Hall used by the University of New Haven.
Things have dragged on forever, with several venues mentioned, including at one pernt the former CVS site that has lain fallow for about three years. The most recent, of course, was the former John Blake Building nee Lincoln School, that once housed the Bored of Ed. But, that idea was scotched (can we still say “scotched”?) a month or so ago, when the current owners determined it would be better effen the place was turned into a residential venue.
Last Cobina heard, the Village Improvement Association, which was blindsided by this turn of events, is looking seriously at the combined construction of a library/fire station as proposed two or three years ago on the Post Road.
That idea was shelved when the Blake Building became a real possibility. Now, it’s back to square one. One wonders effen this idea will get off the ground or just be another bit of political speculation to kick the issue down the road jest a bit farther?
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With that bit o’ chatter, I’ll close this time till next, mitt luff und kizzez,