The town manager laid out for the council what it will take to reach different tax hike percentages. Here’s a PDF of the information that the council got.
I imagine that once the council picks how much it wants to cut, the town manager and school superintendent will lay out what specific cuts can be made to [...]
A fascinating story in Sunday’s New York Times provides proof that school test scores make a huge difference in home prices, even within our tiny town.
Based on “new study by seven professors and students at Trinity College,” the story says the data proves that “prices within a town can fluctuate, even by neighborhood, based on the strength [...]
This email & an addendum came in to me today. They seem worth sharing:
I doubt there is anyone left who is unaware of this, but we are going
to referendum on Tuesday to support or send back the town budget.
Whatever your opinion, you should make it to the polls, so that we
really know what the majority [...]
Look, I’m disgusted with the cuts in education that have already been made, as are many others. But at this point, what’s done is done. Maybe next year we can push for more.
This year, though, we have to choose whether to support a flawed budget or vote it down. If it gets knocked down, it [...]
The June meeting of the West Hartford Taxpayers Association is going to be held on June 22 at Therese McGrath’s place on Richmond Road.
Called the “MDC (Many Dedicated Citizens) Bash and BBQ” the group is touting the event as “a celebration to thank each and every taxpayer for all of their hard work to help [...]
Realtor Amy Bergqist’s wonderful “In the Neighborhood” blog takes aim at the referendum sought by the West Hartford Taxpayers Association. In her post on the issue, Bergquist writes, “While I understand the concern that property taxes will rise by approximately 6.6% for all West Hartford homeowners, I don’t believe cutting the budget is the way to go. [...]
It’s time to fess up about the mystery cuts that the town council seems to believe could salvage the Board of Education budget.
So far, we’re getting mere hints and assurances that the $1.5 million the schools need can be found without wiping out Quest, slashing sports, eliminating the extra help our most troubled schools need [...]
The last-minute decision to wipe out $1.8 million in school spending without public debate is atrocious, from any perspective.
First off, major policy shifts such as slicing into education should be the result of careful, public deliberations, not the result of panic at a looming tax hike. The eight town council members who went along with [...]
Don’t miss former Lt. Gov. Kevin Sullivan’s timely piece on property taxes in The Hartford Courant.
Here’s an interesting take on Thursday’s West Hartford budget hearing at town hall, by a reasonably neutral observer who’s not afraid to say what she thinks - In the Neighborhood blog.
