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Bee Intelligencer AN INDEPENDENTLY OWNED FREE COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER
Informing the towns of Middlebury, Southbury, Woodbury, Naugatuck, Oxford and Watertown
www.bee-news.com
Volume XII, No. 4
Region 15, town budget hearings next week By MARJORIE NEEDHAM The Region 15 budget hearing Monday, April 4, at 7:30 p.m. in the PHS AP Room will be the last opportunity Middlebury and Southbury taxpayers will have to comment on the proposed school budget, which is $66.9 million, a 2.6-percent increase over the current year. Last year, taxpayers faced a 2.48-percent Region 15 budget increase. Tuesday, April 5, taxpayers can attend the Middlebury town budget public hearing, which will be held at 6:30 p.m. at the fire house at 65 Tucker Hill Road. At that hearing, the Middlebury Board of Finance will present the proposed 2016-2017 town budget of $10.4 million. This budget is 2.7-percent higher than the current $10.2 million budget. Last year, the budget increase was 2.1-percent. Readers can see the current and proposed town revenues and expenses in the legal notice printed on page 7 of this issue. That legal notice also estimates the new mil rate of 31.17 if the budget numbers for both the town and Region 15 do not change. However, the Region 15 number was lowered by $180,810 as of March 28, so the mil rate
may end up slightly lower than that. The 31.17 mil rate is 1.05 higher than the current mil rate of 30.12, which makes it a 3.5 percent increase. This compares to a .83 mil, or 2.8 percent increase last year. At a mil rate of 31.17, Middlebury property taxes will increase as follows. Taxes on properties with an assessed value of $175,000 will increase $183.75 to $5,454.57 from $5,271. Taxes on properties with an assessed value of $250,000 will increase $262.50 to $7,792.50 from $7,530. Taxes on properties with an assessed value of $500,000 will increase $525 to $15,585 from $15,060. Middlebury’s portion of the Region 15 budget is increasing more than $900,000 compared to the $664,463 increase in the current fiscal year. For a more detailed look at that number and at the way Middlebury’s share of the Region 15 budget is determined, please look at the article on the Region 15 budget that starts on this page. Middlebury and Southbury voters will head to the polls Wednesday, May 4, to vote on the Region 15 budget and their respective town budgets.
Region 15 budget increases 2.6 percent By MARJORIE NEEDHAM Region 15 Superintendent of Schools Regina Botsford presented her proposed 2016-2017 budget of $67.1 million, a 2.86-percent increase over the current $65.3 million budget, to the Board of Education (BoE) Feb. 29. Following three March BoE budget workshops, the budget now stands at $66.9 million, a 2.6-percent increase over the current budget. Before the budget is formally accepted by the BoE, taxpayers will be able to express their opinions on it at a public hearing Monday, April 4, at 7:30 p.m. in the Pomperaug High School (PHS) AP room. The BoE budget vote will follow that hearing. Middlebury BoE member John Cookson said Tuesday, “I feel the budget is transparent. I feel the budget is fair in providing the type of education and the quality of education we are accustomed to providing in Region 15.” Cookson said BoE members agreed at the March 16 budget workshop to ask Botsford and Region 15 Finance Director Keith McLiverty to go back and look to see if there were areas where they could find reductions without hurting the budget. Botsford and McLiverty returned to the March 22 budget workshop with budget reductions totaling $180,810. The reductions were as follows. Certified salaries were reduced by $68,810 for one unpaid full-year leave of absence. In the Central
Office, $9,000 was cut from noninstructional supplies, and $5,000 was cut from the allocation for Central Office printers. Miscellaneous maintenance equipment for the district was cut by $25,000. Cookson said deferring purchases of new equipment to replace that currently being used made this reduction possible. Also deferred was replacement of the PHS gym doors, which saved $10,000. Another $10,000 was saved by obtaining a firm fixed price for the annual audit. A third item that provided a $10,000 reduction was changing fixed-asset inventory services to every other year instead of every year. District-wide publishing and printing was reduced by $37,000 through reducing newsletters to one a year and reducing outside printing. Finally, BoE meeting expenses and supplies were reduced by $6,000. The BoE also reallocated some funds from Botsford’s initial budget proposal to increase Botsford’s proposed $100,000 special education contingency fund to $300,000. This was done after Botsford reported Feb. 29 that unexpected increases in the cost of special education this year ran more than $900,00 over budget. For the second year in a row, Middlebury taxpayers will see an increase in the percentage of the budget they pay. This is because Southbury’s enrollment dropped by 66 students, to 2,589 from 2,655, while Middlebury’s enroll-
– See Region 15 on page 5
It Happened in Middlebury... 5 Senior Center Events....3 Library Highlights........2 Sports.................. 3 & 6 Library Lines................2 Veterans Post..............4 Obituaries...................5 Winning Ways.............6
Editorial Office: Email: mbisubmit@gmail.com Phone: 203-577-6800 Mail: P.O. Box 10, Middlebury, CT 06762 Advertising Sales: Email: mbiadvertising@gmail.com
saturday Upcoming Events
Diversified Tax Tidbits...4 Puzzles.......................7
LPOS gets bids for Fenn Farm roofs By TERRENCE S. MCAULIFFE The Middlebury Land Preservation and Open Space Acquisition Committee (LPOS) at its March 2 meeting updated members on the status of Fenn Farm projects. Chairman Ray Pietrorazio told members the bid notice for replacing the Fenn Farm barn roof had been posted on the town website and on the Connecticut Department of Administrative Services bidding site. The deadline for submitting bids was March 22, 2016. Pietrorazio told the newspaper on March 29 that six bids were submitted. He said Public Works Director Dan Norton was in the process of setting up a meeting for Norton, Pietrorazio and First Selectman Edward B. St. John to review the submitted bids. That meeting may be the last week of March or the first week of April. At the March 2 meeting, member John Cookson said 10 bids were received for a previous farmhouse roofing project, but he expected fewer bids on the barn because it requires a highperformance bond. The work includes the large, historic cow barn passersby see as they’re traveling north on Middlebury Road as well as the much smaller corn crib and wagon shed that sit farther back on the property. Pietrorazio said the specifications highly detailed the materials to be used, including stainless steel nails, and samples of all materials are to be provided and approved before use. A member of the Public Works Department will be on site for all construction, and, after commencing, the work must con-
Dashed lines on this aerial view of Fenn Farm outline the buildings on the farm that are to be reroofed this year. (Submitted photo) tinue without interruption until it is done. The capital maintenance account, originally $200,000 and now down to $140,000, will provide funds for the project. Pietrorazio told members he wanted to investigate forming a 501(3)(c) nonprofit to raise funds for replenishing the maintenance account. Cookson said he thought this might have been done when Tom Gormley was first selectman and agreed to investigate. Member Kris Jacobi said lifetime farm resident Robert Fenn asked her if money held from tree preservation funds could be used for a large ash tree on
Charcoal Avenue. Removal of the diseased tree, which is now thought to be dead, was discussed in November. At that time, Cookson said the tree was treated two years ago. Jacobi said a preventative treatment might cost as much as $800. After some discussion, Jacobi agreed to contact an arborist to see if further treatment was worthwhile. In other matters, Pietrorazio said he spoke with town attorney Dana D’Angelo, who was to meet with First Selectman Ed St. John to discuss resolution of a proposed Revocable License Agreement between the town and the Middlebury Cemetery
Association (MCA). That agreement would allow gravesite preparation and burial vehicles to travel over a 15-foot strip of Fenn Farm property. It has remained unresolved since August because of disagreement about the role of Fenn in the license agreement, which the MCA wanted solely between themselves and the town. Pietrorazio reminded members this had nothing to do with LPOS, and he provided the status only as a courtesy to members. The next regular LPOS meeting will be Wednesday, April 6, at 6 p.m. at Shepardson Community Center.
Spotlight on Middlebury Land Trust properties By JANINE SULLIVAN-WILEY Each month, this column features a gem of land preserved in perpetuity by the Middlebury Land Trust (MLT). We also publish a picture of a mystery location on one of the MLT properties. Readers are invited to submit their guesses to see who is the first to correctly identify the mystery location. Land trust property can be used and enjoyed through passive recreation activities such as walking, hiking, birding, geocaching, photography and schools’ outdoor educational projects. Information on MLT properties and more is on the MLT website, www.middleburylandtrust.org. The February Spotlight article considered two of the larger of the Middlebury Land Trust holdings, Lake Elise (50 acres) and Fodder’s Folly (51 acres). The March focus was on one of the smaller ones, a 6.33-acre gem situated right in the middle of Middlebury, Bronson Meadow. Congratulations to Eric Olsen, the first to recognize it! Steve Savarese and Harold West Jr. also were among the eagleeyed. Bronson Meadow is on the north side of Route 188, Whittemore Road, just east of Pies
Send in your guess identifying the April “Can You Guess The Location?” mystery Middlebury Land Trust property. (Janine Sullivan-Wiley photo) and Pints. You might have driven past this field every day and never have guessed this pastoral scene will be preserved in perpetuity thanks to its status as a Middlebury Land Trust property. This parcel originally belonged to the Bronson family, who owned much of the land in that area. It was saved from potential development through the fundraising efforts of several Middlebury families. When it was deeded to the Middlebury Land Trust in 1977, Bronson Meadow be-
came the fourth property thus conserved. Unlike the previously described locations, there really isn’t enough land there to be hiked. Generally mowed for hay, it contains the wildlife that might be expected in such space, small mammals and field birds. Woodchucks and squirrels are the most likely to be spotted. Various land trust members and friends have spent many hours diligently removing invasive plants to keep the area in good condition so Middle-
bury residents can enjoying having this field, so near the green, for generations to come. The April mystery location, shown in the photo above, may be easier to recognize. As before, email your best guess to mbisubmit@gmail.com, and please put “Guess the location” in the subject line. If you missed earlier “Spotlight” articles, you can find them at www.bee-news. com. Find out in May who correctly identified this month’s mystery location.
Boy Scout Troop 5 Redeemable Bottle and Can Drive
Inside this Issue Classifieds...................7 Pets of the Month.......5
March 31, 2016
April 2
What: When: Where: Info:
Fundraiser to benefit Scout programs 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Village Square Plaza at 530 Middlebury Road in Middlebury Community Center For bottle/can pickup before Saturday, April 2, text Brian Rosenhein at 203-707-0255. Please note Gatorade and Powerade bottles are not redeemable.
monday
Region 15 2016-2017 Budget Hearing
tuesday
Town of Middlebury Annual Budget Hearing for 2016-2017 Town Budget
April 4
April 5
Pomperaug softball hopes to contend in SWC
Page 6
What: Public hearing on proposed budget followed by Board of Education vote on the budget. When: 7:30 p.m. Where: Pomperaug High School AP Room
What: The Middlebury Board of Finance presents the proposed 2016-2017 town budget to residents. When: 6:30 p.m. Where: Middlebury Firehouse at 65 Tucker Hill Road in Middlebury
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