Herbert marks 100 years
West Haven has always had a knack for honoring its many great citizens. Next Tuesday, the West Haven Community House continues the tradition with a 100th birthday celebration for Patricia Herbert, longtime WHCH board member, but a resident whose entire life has been one of service.
There are few organizations, boards or commissions that have not had Miss Herbert’s expertise, common sense or good nature influencing it. As she nears the century mark, the current generation is celebrating her many decades of service.
She does, indeed, capture the essence of what it means to be active in the community. Her many years as an educator, Board of Education member, member of the Land Trust of West Haven, Inc., as well as the Community House and many others, bespeak a desire to make our community a better place to live and work.
Pat Herbert is a great example to young and old alike. One can either be part of the problems confronting a city or community, or part of the solution. Early on in her life, Pat Herbert chose to be part of the solution. Her years of experience are still a resource for those who have followed.
As the Community House marks her centenary, we at the Voice join with them – and the rest of the city – in extending our congratulations to her.
Newest budget shortfall points to bigger problem
The recent announcement the city experienced yet another budgetary shortfall in the Fiscal Year 2017 came as no surprise, and further emphasized the problem that faces the city.
To recap, city auditors came in with the figures for Fiscal Year 2017 – very late we might point out – that showed the city writing its books in $1.4 million in red ink. This followed four consecutive years of shortfalls under the former O’Brien administration, which saw the city’s debt mushroom to more than $17 million.
A $25 million bond issue passed by the City Council in the waning days of that administration paid off the previous debt, but it was admitted at the time it would not pay off the upcoming debt. Administration officials at the time put the deficit at around $100,000. Obviously, they were not even close.
The bonding also had the added repercussion of putting the city under the auspices of the Municipal Accountability Review Board (MARB), which is overseeing our spending, and calling for cost controls and cuts.
The review board anticipated the problem by cutting the amount of money the city could claim for operating expenses in the $9 million grant package it offered. Instead of the total sum going to operation, about $3 million was used for deficits and operating expenses of the MARB itself. That meant Mayor Nancy Rossi and the City Council had to restructure expenses in a drastic fashion.
It meant the city’s mill rate went up by one, and city services were cut dramatically. The full effect of these measures has yet to be felt.
Our concern is one we’ve had for many years: the city’s only reasonable opportunity to get out of its fiscal rut is by increasing its tax base. The only tide that lifts all boats is an increase in taxable property on the Grand List that does not take out more in services than it pays in revenues. That means we need commercial and industrial development.
The city finds itself in a Catch-22 because its high tax rate inhibits developers from coming in, thus leaving our tax base stagnant. Over the last dozen years, the Grand List has either risen marginally or decreased. That means the bulk of taxation falls on property owners. This continues to fuel our need for commercial and industrial development, which is further inhibited by high taxation.
West Haven needs a comprehensive plan to increase development in various sections of town. The only one we can point to is that which was presented by the Borer administration some 20 years ago, called the Gateway Project. Unfortunately, that project was inhibited by the same factors we see today.
Until we see some innovation or, more to the point, find developers willing to come into the city under current conditions, little will happen. That is the sad reality the city finds itself.