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Bee Intelligencer Informing the towns of Middlebury, Southbury, Woodbury, Naugatuck, Oxford and Watertown AN INDEPENDENTLY OWNED FREE COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER
Volume X, No. 15
Friday, April 11, 2014
Town, Region 15 budgets Spring Fling approved for referendum By MARJORIE NEEDHAM Following public hearings Monday night, Middlebury’s Board of Finance (BoF) voted to approve a proposed $9.97 million 2014-2015 budget and send it to referendum May 7, and the Region 15 Board of Education (BoE) approved a proposed $64.2 million 2014-2015 budget and voted to send it to referendum May 7. If both budgets pass at the polls, the total combined budget for Middlebury taxpayers will be $30.1 million compared to this year’s combined budget of $29.8 million. Although the total tax increase cannot be determined at this time, the proposed 2014-2015 Region 15 school budget is a 3.67 percent increase over the current school budget and may increase Middlebury’s contribution to $20.1 million compared to its current $19.8 million if the budget passes at the polls on May 7. BoF Chairman Michael McCormack previously estimated the proposed town budget would increase taxes 2.8 percent. The two public hearings Monday night were a study in contrasts. At the first hearing, in the Middlebury firehouse on Tucker Hill road, residents spoke and shared their thoughts on the budget. At the second hearing, in AP Room 105 at Pomperaug High School, residents made no comments on the budget. However, at the BoE meeting following the public hearing, three of the four Middlebury BoE members made up for the residents’ silence, with Francis Brennan, Paul Babarik and John Cookson making statements about the budget before casting their votes. All three spoke against increased spending, but Brennan was the only one to cast a “no” vote. Afterwards Brennan said, “How can you speak against a budget and then vote for it?” Brennan wasn’t the only BoE member to vote against the budget. He was joined by Richard Spierto, also of Middlebury, who made no statement prior to casting his no vote, and Southbury BoE member Janet Butkus, who also did not make a statement. Speaking before the vote, Brennan announced he would not vote for the budget. He thanked Superintendent of Schools Regina Botsford and the members of the BoE for their work on the budget. Then he said BoE members have two responsibilities: one is educational and the other is fiduciary. He said King Solomon’s law seems to apply to the two, with the fiduciary responsibility seldom getting its due. He noted his vote is a “double-discounted vote.” This refers to the fact that the 10-member BoE has four members from Middlebury and six members from Southbury. Middlebury members can never carry a vote without support from Southbury BoE members. The situation at the polls is the same: Middlebury has roughly 5,200 registered voters; Southbury has roughly 13,300. If just half the Southbury voters turn
out and all vote for the Region 15 budget, Middlebury voters can’t defeat the budget even if they all turn out and all vote against it. Brennan went on to say, “It’s not good to go with the flow and the majority.” He said he was having a hard time explaining to Middlebury residents why the school population was decreasing but the school budget was increasing. He said we have to look to the future at possible increased costs due to health care and common core. “We may have expenses that collapse the middle class,” he said. Because of his concerns for the future, he said he would cast a “no” vote. Middlebury BoE member Paul Babarik spoke next. He said he recognized the need to improve our educational system, but said he was concerned taxpayers will not be able to meet increased costs. He noted the national rate of inflation is 1.5 percent compared to the proposed budget’s 3.67 percent increase. Babarik said the BoE cannot keep putting escalating costs on the backs of taxpayers. “I am not pleased with the increases,” he said, “but I recognize most are out of the control of the board.” Babarik urged the BoE to look at the budget for next year “with a fervent desire to meet needs at a lower cost.” He then announced he would vote “yes” for the budget due to unavoidable costs. Middlebury BoE member John Cookson said, “The taxpayer can no longer afford tax increases from Southbury, Middlebury and Region 15. The elderly and even common everyday people in their 20s and 30s are needing fuel assistance.” He said there must be no more budget expansion. However, he said he would support the current budget. Responding to Babarik’s statement, Southbury BoE member Marion Manzo said she believed there had been a fervent commitment to do more with less in the preparation of the proposed budget. She said, “Mrs. Botsford started at zero and built budgets from there.” Manzo said she thought the budget had been reduced as much as possible. Southbury member Steven Suriani said the region is down 500 students from its peak enrollment of 4500 students in 2009, and the budget has been responding to declining enrollment over the years. He said several dozen staff positions have been eliminated, and he noted that Region 15 Finance Director Keith McLiverty has found a number of ways to cut costs. Suriani said he supports Babarik’s suggestion the BoE continue to look for ways to cut the budget, but said he hated to see common core become the “whipping boy” in the discussion of educational costs. Following these comments, a voice vote was taken on moving the budget to referendum. Three members voted against it: Brennan, Spierto and Butkus. Seven “yes” votes were cast by Babarik,
– See Budget on page 4
Inside this Issue Library Happenings.......... 2 Obituaries....................... 5 Region 15 School Calendar....3 Senior Center Events....... 3 Sports Quiz..................... 6 Varsity Sports Calendar.... 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
April 14
Upcoming Events
Adoptable Pets................ 8 Book Review................... 2 Classifieds....................... 7 Community Calendar....... 2 Fire Log........................... 2 In Brief............................ 4
monDAY
friDAY
April 18
Some 65 or so senior citizens gathered at Shepardson Community Center in Middlebury for a “Spring Fling” luncheon Wednesday. Folks from Woodbury, Watertown, Waterbury and Naugatuck joined folks from Middlebury to enjoy a meal, entertainment, door prizes and a raffle, all hosted by the Middlebury Senior Center. (Marjorie Needham photo)
Land trust suggests POCD changes By TERRENCE S. MCAULIFFE The Middlebury Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) at its April 3 meeting heard recommendations from the Middlebury Land Trust (MLT) for the 2014 Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD). State statutes require the POCD to be updated every 10 years; it was last updated in 2001. The Board of Selectmen at its Dec. 10, 2011, meeting awarded a $66,000 contract to the Turner-Miller Group for a oneyear project to update the plan concurrently with updates to zoning regulations. Subsequent legislation allowed a slip to 2013, and the current POCD is scheduled to be published in mid-2014. Brian Miller, a principal of Turner-Miller Group and also the Middlebury town planner, used P&Z workshops to gather input from P&Z members and the public into a draft document. In his workshops, Miller said a complete revision of the POCD was not necessary
because transportation and roads had not changed much, nor had the open space. He recommended a special focus on “Middlebury Center Revitalization” that he described as the commercial area along Route 64 between Ledgewood Park and Bristol Park, an area he said lacked the attributes of a true commercial center. Alice Hallaran and Donald McRae, MLT committee members, gave an 11-page rewritten Open Space and Environment section of the POCD draft to Miller and each commissioner. Hallaran told Miller she decided to include the complete rewritten text of the 2001 plan in the 2014 plan instead of references because “otherwise no one would ever look at it.” She said sections of the old plans mentioning future goals were rewritten if those things had been accomplished, citing as an example lake shore buffer setbacks, which had once been goals. Hallaran told commissioners the open space table in the 2001 POCD was based
on 1990 and 1973 plans, making the data at least 25 years old. She said she worked with MLT member Curtiss B. Smith and Central Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments (COG) member Kenneth Long to create a table of permanently protected open space and open space that is not protected. The permanently protected space is 1,797 acres or about 15 percent of the town. Unprotected open space is about 2,715 acres or about 23 percent of the town. She offered a high-quality color-coded open-space map produced by Smith and commented about the poor quality of other POCD maps. Miller agreed the quality was poor and said Middlebury is entitled to use the excellent COG digital maps if P&Z asks him to. The next regular P&Z meeting will be Thursday, May 1, at 7:30 p.m. at Shepardson Community Center.
LPOS discusses Fenn Farm maintenance By TERRENCE S. MCAULIFFE The Middlebury Land Preservation and Open Space Acquisition Committee (LPOS) at its April 2 meeting discussed Fenn Farm maintenance projects and heard public comments on asbestos removal and repair priorities. Chairman John Cookson told members the Board of Selectmen (BoS) would need to obtain bids on either painting the main house or residing it with vinyl because the likely cost would exceed $5,000, noting funding for the project depended on Middlebury’s 2014-2015 final budget. He said actual painting over the linseed oil-treated clapboards would require sanding and be cost prohibitive, so vinyl siding or a product
like Rhino Shield would be recommended, noting a technician from Rhino Shield was inspecting the building to determine whether linseed oil presented a problem. Cookson said a second important Fenn Farm project is a leaky cow barn roof. He said he would meet with First Selectman Edward B. St. John and Public Works Department Head Dan Norton to show them the situation. Cookson said Logue Farms in Woodbury would again be doing the seasonal fertilization and haying of the fields. He also said he’d apply for renewal of the five-year Conservation Commission wetlands permits for the farm. In public comments, Ray Pietrorazio of 764 Charcoal Ave. asked if the Town of Middlebury was obligated by contract to main-
tain the property at Fenn Farm and asked how priorities were set. Cookson said the town was obligated to maintain the property. He said the LPOS acted only as an advisory committee to the BoS with decisions on maintenance or repairs the responsibility of the BoS and public works. Pietrorazio questioned removal of asbestos in a private house still occupied by former owner Robin Fenn, saying state law did not require its removal in that case. Cookson said the house was a public building and Building Inspector Oliver Leduc said it must be removed. The next regular LPOS meeting will be Wednesday, May 7, at 6 p.m. at Shepardson Community Center.
Passover Begins at Sundown Good Friday
Town Offices, Library and Transfer Station are closed Panthers’ baseball armed and ready Page 6
saturDAY & Sunday
April 18 & 19
Boy Scout Troop 444 Annual Flower Sale What: Assorted potted flowers on sale When: 9 a.m. to 5p.m. Where: On the green in Middlebury
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