It’s May, honeybunch! Hard to believe we’ve started the fifth month o’ the year already. Now what we’re waiting for is the “weather to change.” Yikes! It’s been cold and windy round these parts for weeks, and jest when we think it might be over, the chill returns. The peeps on the boob tube and radio have a saying for this, “Cooler by the shore.” And Cobina got a good taste o’ that last week when she had to traverse to Wallingford for an apperntment.
When the gassamobuggy left these environs it was 61 degrees, damp and a chilly wind. When she got to Wallingford the temps had climbed to a nice 73, but with a chilly wind still in the air. Soooo, when they say the shore is “cooler,” the weather people jest ain’t kidding.
Around this neck of the woods, we are awaiting (at the time this is being writ) for Herronner to unveil the spending plan for what’s known as Fiscal Year 2027, beginning July 1. By this time, normally, the whole thing is over. The budget is proposed, the public has a hearing, the City Council does it’s thing and reviews it, and then it’s passed by the foist Thursday in May.
Well, cuz of a few holes in the budget, namely big increases in things that have to do with the Board of Ed, a deficit has to be fixed. Soooo, Herroner determined that a little statement inside a state statute gave her the loophole she needed to make sure we don’t’ have any snafus. She asked the Council to allow the budget proposal to be postponed until setch time as the state finalizes its plan, and the city knows what kopecks are coming for Hartford.
This allowance was given to cities after the state’s budget debacle of about a decade ago, when budgets that were adopted in all 169 towns and cities had to be torn open and redone after money that was expected was nixed out of the state’s budget. That was a big mess, and put a lot of cities squarely behind the eight ball.
Trying to forestall a repeat she is gonna come out the day after the state puts the final imprimatur on the spending plan. That is supposed to be May 5 with the proposal set for May 6. Barring anything unforeseen (yew never know when it comes to politicos), the council has a planned date for the public hearing and will spend the rest of the month doing the review that it usually does in April.
The state drop-dead date for city budgets is May 31. That is for those towns that still put the proposal up for referendum, and don’t pass the foist one…or two…or three.
That’s enuff time for the Committee-of-the-Whole to review the spending plan and make whatever amendments it might deem proper.
What we don’t know is effen the state is gonna increase the school funds, namely those things concerning special needs students. The increases in that area is where the money drain happened. Effen there is more money, no harm done. Effen there isn’t, the thoid floor is gonna burn the midnight oil trying to square that circle.
Meanwhile, the papyrus is set to git the plan and put out a four-page “special edition” that will be the legal notice and the revenues and expenses that we usually print. All things being equal, the edition should be on the streets by Tuesday so the requisite days necessary for the public hearing are met. It’s gonna be busy around here for a few days, but it’s all good work.
On another note, given the cuts made by some area towns, it’s gonna be interesting to see what way Herroner goes in this, her third budget cycle. We shall see!
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Before we go any farther, we want to extend to the family of Steve Dargan our condolences on his passing. Steve fought a long, hard fight after being diagnosed with cancer, and kep’ his spirits up. He was lauded by his fellow legislators, who knew him during his time in the Capitol. Besides that, he never forgot where he came from, and that he was first, last and always a Westie.
He and his humor will be missed. He was truly unique, and helped make the city the friendly place it is. Godspeed, Steve!
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Kudos to the city for implementing a “boot” program on those who have not paid their auto taxes, and try to circumvent the law Sammy Bluejay was fluttering about the berg an sez that he noticed the booting apparatus whilst gadding about. These programs have been tried in the past to git some scofflaws to pay up, but this time seems to be one of the most successful in recent memory. That last time it was used was three years ago.
And this go-round did not come up with a pittance, according to the city mavens, this program has recouped about $513,000 in unpaid levies. That ain’t nuthin’ to sneeze at – even with spring allergies. That’s a good piece of change to help fill some of the budget gaps.
Never understood why people jest won’t pay their annual taxes. They live here, use the fields, parks, services, but jest refuse to pay their tax bills. It takes the temporary difficulty of not being able to use your car that makes them fork over the money, plus expenses in processing.
Seems like common sense, but as G.B. Shaw and others seem to have figger out, sometimes it ain’t so common.
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We see the city has come to terms with the Allingtown Fire brigade, called the West Haven Fire Department –Allingtown, officially. The raise and amenities were negotiated and the people in the districk will bear the costs. Hard to believe it’s been about 15 years since the old district dissolved itself and the city put it under its wing. It’s still operated as a separate districk in many ways, but it’s under the umbrella of the city.
Now, one wonders, when the new brigade headquarters will be put to plan. It’s been on the back burner for a long time and pot is starting to singe. Of course, the Allingtown Library, also a thing that has been on the other back burner for about six years is supposed to be part of that plan – maybe. Just wondering….
Meanwhile, Nelly Nuthatch came by and noted the new contract for the brigade and mentioned something that Cobina hadn’t thought about in a long while.
When the Allingtown District was going through the motions of dissolving itself, consolidation of the city’s three fire departments was a hot topic. Of course, those of us who’ve been around a while, knew this topic came up every so often. Really since that time, the topic of consolidation has faded into a distant memory. Nothing has been said about the matter in about 15 years.
The only entity that seemed hot on the issue was the Municipal Accountability Review Board (MARB) that wanted the city to put the remaining two districts under the same umbrella as Allingtown. They seemed to forget that Allingtown was set up one way, whilst the other two, Center and West Shore were set up via “home rule” statutes.
Getting the districts to disentangle themselves out of home rule is a much bigger matter, and takes a whole legal obstacle course to manage. Then there is the matter of who is gonna fill the gaps in the pension funds. All debts would have to be liquidated before the districts could dissolve.
Personally, I ain’t sorry the matter is off the table. It was a hot button issue in its time, but it seems most people are in the “if it ain’t broke” line of thinking. Not a bad place to be.
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And Iva Lootey came by and reported that the city finally got a bunch of locals, who think dumping their old stuff on city property is a good thing to do. They were caught, and are now being prosecuted. Let’s hope that besides fines and some bad publicity, these people learn their lesson.
Too many people jest think they can dump stuff in some secluded area and get away with it. Stevens Avenue used to be one of those places. And since the city put cameras and a fence along the road, that part of the city has been dump free.
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Everyone knows how much Cobina thinks of Rosa DeLauro Greenberg, which is to say, not much. She is the typical politico who never worked a real job in her life, but on the largesse of the taxpayers. Rosa, who has taken to doing her pate up with purple dye, made a complete fool of herself during a subcommittee hearing in which the EPA Commish Lee Zeldin was the person in the hot seat.
To say Mrs. Greenberg didn’t have a clue as to what she was talking about is to not understate the case. She came off as the zany aunt who lives in the attic. Best of all, a fellow committee member was sitting next to her, and her reaction to what Rosa was doing was priceless. Think: head in hands trying to blot it all out.
And don’t git me started about Sen. Murphy. He is a perfeck example of a hack. I didn’t think anyone could out hack Richard Blumenthal, but wishing an enemy state would hoodwink the US Navy during a blockade is hackery on another leve.
With that bit o’ chatter, I’ll close this time till next mitt luff und kizzez,
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