Board of Finance Public Hearing April 6, 2021

Board of Finance Public Hearing April 6, 2021

This year the Town of Simsbury has had an unusual increase in revenues.

These revenues should not be used for tax and spend projects but should be used to lower taxes.

The Mill Rate should be lowered with additional revenues from an increased Grand List.

This year Simsbury has had an increase in development with all the new apartments developed or scheduled to be developed, the Big Y Market, home sales and Solar panels increased the Town’s revenues and the Grand List.

The Grand list will generate approximately $2.7 million in new tax revenue.

Real Estate comprised a 1.55% increase with the construction of new apartments and the Big Y market.

Personal property increased by 17.90% made of new growth driven from the Tobacco Valley Solar project and the expansion of Curaleaf.

Motor Vehicles increased by 6.72%.

The difference between budgeted tax collection rate of 98.5% and anticipated tax collection rate of 99.5% is an additional projected revenue of $882,549.

Millions of dollars will be coming from the State and Federal Governments.

More developments are in the pipeline.

An expenditure of $22,000 for the Spirit Council to study diversity is an unnecessary expenditure since the 2020 Census and other organizations have already studied diversity with data in communities. This would be another redundancy that should be removed.

The taxpayers have been overtaxed for years, now is the time for the taxpayers to realize the “pot of gold” with lower taxes and a reduced Mill Rate.

The Capital Expenditure budget reflects an addition to the Latimer Lane School with a price tag of $ 36 million.

It appears that the Facility Study did not produce scenarios that would reflect changes in the educational delivery services and the move of the 6th grade to the Junior High.

The Board of Education promoted an addition to the Junior High at $23.9 million before the Facility Study was initiated.

The Facilities Study should have been priority one which would have reduced wasteful spending.

After the Facilities Study was completed, the Board of Education could have promoted an addition to the Junior High incorporating the 6th grade as part of the renovation and complete the task in one phase.

With the elimination of the 6th grade in the elementary schools the Board of Education should consolidate some of the schools under one roof producing an economy of scale.

This would lower the overhead costs and reduce redundancies in inventories while providing the same educational needs to more students under one roof.

The immediate pressures were eliminated from the Latimer Lane renovation by redistricting to eliminate overcrowding.

The Latimer Lane School should be removed from the Capital Expenditures budget until a comprehensive study is done addressing the 6th grade transition into the Junior High and the consolidation of elementary schools.

Included in the Capital Expenditures is the purchase of the Meadowood Land in conjunction with the Land Trust that will pay for the additional cost if they can raise the money for the project.

The Taxpayers are asked to support a $2.6 million project for land that has been vacant for years and produces $200,000 a year in revenue. The Plan of Development does not support this purchase and additional infrastructure costs and overhead expenses have not been presented. The development of the land reflects 88 homes for affordable housing that would be eliminated.

The Meadowood Project should be eliminated from the Capital Expenditures.

I am asking the Board of Finance to take a pro-active position and review the projects on their merits with the long-term debt and increased overhead expenses on the back of taxpayers that have not realized windfall revenues.