Hebron Dollars & Sense

There have already been several letters to the editor about bifurcating the Hebron Town budget. That issue is not dead, regardless of what you may be hearing.

In a way, we already "bifurcate" the educational budget in that we vote on RHAM separately from the town budget. That is by statutory requirement. But as we know from the Naugatuck case, the Connecticut Supreme Court ruled years ago that bifurcating a municipal budget is legal.

There are already questions being raised about bifurcating the budget. How do we get it done? How fast can we get it done? There is a process and a legal timeline for getting it done.

This is what we find so surprising about this year's Board of Education budget... it was passed shortly after the Charter Revision Commission's recommendations -- which refused to add bifurcation to the list of recommended changes -- were passed in November. Skeptical?

For those on the Charter Revision Commission who spoke in favor of bifurcation, kudos. For those of us who didn't participate in the process, for whatever reason (but mostly because we trusted the 5-year peace and acceptable budget increases), now is the time to speak up.

As I explained to someone tonight, there are multiple forms of municipal government in Connecticut, and various towns have various forms of charters -- some limit the number of referendums (such as Plainville, where, after 3 budget defeats, the Town Council sets the budget number). Others with limited budget referendums include West Hartford, Avon, Naugatuck, and numerous other towns. We can pull that data from CCM.

But some towns have no limit to the number of referendums as shown by the Amity (Region 5) debacle in 2003. Seventeen or 18 referendums later, it took an act of the CT Legislature to say enough already, you don't have to vote anymore. In 2004, Amity voters were voting twice: one on the budget for a fiscal year that had already come and gone, and one for the new fiscal year.

Hebron's charter has no limit on the number of referendums. On one hand, that's good... it may take 12 or 17 referendums for voters to get a message across. On the other hand, it does cost to hold referendums. Doesn't it make more sense for boards -- members of which are elected by us -- to make fiscally responsible decisions from the get go to avoid both scenarios?

What are your thoughts on bifurcation?

ABSOLUTLY A FINE IDEA Who's Time Has Come.

With The Complexitys Of ANY Budget,ESPECIALLY The Main Drivers Of A Budget(Educational Spending) & The Proclivity Of The Educators To Hide/Spin/Confuse The Electorate AS To The Real Numbers & BURY IT IN A OVERALL TOWN BUDGET, It Should Be Done For All Of Us.

Charter Revision Commission Did Not include It, Go Back & Read The LAME EXCUSES Why Not & You'll See What The Majority of us are Up against

The Educators ESPECIALLY Ellie/ Doobie & The HBOE Are Afraid Of The Transparency Of Bifircation

WHY????

I agree with NP .. re-read the minutes of the Charter Revision Committee (CRC). By May 2008 I finally had to send in an email to those folks. Comments were pulled off the wall. Valid points were dismissed and it was obvious the BOE was not supporting any changes. There were so many BOE representatives at those meetings, I sometimes wondered if it was an official BOE meeting.

The SIZE of the BOE budget was the issue ... not transparency. It is larger than the town budget and is HIDDEN as a line item on the municipal budget ... YES, HIDDEN! I believe the last time bifurcation was addressed the weather kept supporters away from some key meetings. This time, let's address bifurcation in the Spring and educate the folks in town about the many pluses of separating the BOE budget out. Most of those opposed to bifurcation kept insisting that everyone needed to work together on the budgets, we are one community etc. Well, the BOE has demonstrated they work only for their own agenda. THIS YEAR's proposed BOE budget and comments from the administrator and BOE chair are great examples of how well the BOE does NOT cooperate with town (requests).

THERE IS NO COOPERATION ... read the newspaper article (News Bulletin- March 19, 2010 pg 26) this thought was attributed to Ms. Dube: "...decisions about the education program in town are better left to the superintrendent and BOE to make ..." Translation: support our proposed budgets, give us the $$$ and let us spend it anyway we want to ... we know what is best! It is a JOKE!!

GET INFORMED ... read about bifurcation and get behind this issue!!

Valid points were dismissed and it was obvious the BOE was not supporting any changes. There were so many BOE representatives at those meetings, I sometimes wondered if it was an official BOE meeting.

The HBOE has demonstrated they work only for their own agenda. THIS YEAR's proposed BOE budget and comments from the administrator and BOE chair are great examples of how well the BOE does NOT cooperate with town (requests).

This thought was attributed to Ms. Dube: "...decisions about the education program in town are better left to the superintrendent and BOE to make ..." [b]Translation: support our proposed budgets, give us the $$$ and let us spend it anyway we want to ... we know what is best! It is a JOKE!!


The Last statement By DOOBIE Made Me wanna Retch

Like Letting The Fox Gaurd The Henhouse Might You say

Ellie, Doobie & The Hboe Minus 2 Are TONE DEAF TO REALITY & Should Be Replaced ASAP Or In Ellie's Case TERMINATED FOR CAUSE( Initial Disregard Of The BOF 0% Increase For starters)

Wake Up People, Ellie, Doobie & The HBOE Minus 2 Do Not Care About Us, JUST THEMSELVES

We Will Not Let them Roll Us Over ANYMORE!!!!

I just learned through a member that there was actually a petition in favor of bifurcation presented to the Charter Revision Commission. It is located at the end of the minutes located at www.hebronct.com/pdfs/meetings-agendas/C...C_Minutes_050609.pdf However, the entire document is revealing... please take the time to read the minutes.

Obviously, the petition was dismissed as "irrelevant" by the majority members of the Charter Revision Commission...