Letter to the Editor: Will You Support the Town Budget May 23?

1. It has come to my attention that Mr. Edward Munster wrote a Letter to the Editor of Haddam-Killingworth Now (5/22/2019) stating that a recent Haddam Bulletin article – prepared by me – presented false information regarding Haddam’s soon to be determined FY2020 town budget.

   While I never have a problem with people disagreeing with what I write, I am deeply offended by Munster’s accusation that I deliberately misled the public. He should apologize to me for his shameful comments.

   Munster attacked the Bulletin’s front page headline, which stated that the board of finance’s proposed FY2020 town budget included a +11.2% increase in local government spending and -1.5% decrease in school spending next year.
   Munster called these figures – ‘misleading and FALSE!’

   That same issue of the Bulletin also stated that the board of finance’s proposed total town budget for Haddam (combined government and school) next year will be $32,424,808 – an increase of +$455,985 (+1.4%) over the current year.

   If you would like to believe that Munster’s accusations are correct I suggest you do a quick ‘reality-check’ by going to the town’s website (haddam.org) and clicking onto the board of finance page. On their menu click: “2019-2020 Proposed Annual Budget and Detailed Capital Budget”. On page 22 you’ll find a summary of next year’s proposed town budget.

   Here’s what you’ll find on the town website about the proposed budget:

   – government spending is going up +$834,050 (+11.2%)
   – school spending is going down -$378,065 (-1.5%)
   – total town budget: $32,424,808 up +$455,985 (+1.4%)

   If you are an honest individual it will be quickly apparent that the very facts that Munster claims to be ‘misleading and FALSE!’ are in fact 100% accurate.

   Clearly someone as smart and well informed as Ed Munster knew that what I said was correct. If so why did he bother to accuse me of lying unless it was just a cheap-shot to manipulate you – his readers – to do what he wants you to do.

   And if that’s the case, he owes ALL of us an apology.

2. The numbers in the Haddam Bulletin headline were very much correct. The are taken directly from the published town budget. The General Government line is up 11.21%. This increase is largely due to the capital plan and the increased debt we will incur by changing the way we fund the capital plan. No matter where the increase is it is still an increase shown on the budget. For the record I voted against the Capital Plan. I feel we should not be bonding large ticket Items such as trucks and equipment. We should continue to have a plan where we look to when we actually need to replace the equipment and save money each year in the capital plan to make the purchase at the end of a certain time frame. That is what a plan is all about, planning for the future.
   As for the school budget line, the number used in the Haddam Bulletin was , again, taken right from the published budget document. Our share of the RSD 17 budget went down therefore our cost went down, hence a decrease in our budget.
   It is misleading and false to claim the Haddam Bulletin was being misleading and false when their numbers were taken directly from the published budget document.
   As for the mill rate, I hope there is no increase. The Board of Finance will vote on the mill rate after the , assuming the budget passes.

   Sean Moriarty
   Board of Finance Member

3. My letter to the editor takes issue with the HEADLINE OF THE ARTICLE in the (HB) Haddam Bulletin. Please go back and read my letter. I do not dispute the numbers in the article by Mr. Alan Aronow. I take issue with the HB headline on both points:

   The cost of operating Haddam government as stated in Aronow’s article on page 11 is an increase of 1.3% and that is true. Haddam town government in my opinion is running very lean. In order to get to the 11.2% increase one has to add to the cost of government operations the proposed budget for capital items and the proposed cost for increased debt service. These items represent for the most part the failure of previous administrations (of both political parties) to replace equipment in a timely fashion and maintain roads on a regular basis. These items are in addition to the cost of operating the town government.
   So why would the HB state in their headline that the cost government is up 11.2 % when the mil rate which is what matters to people is going to have a ZERO PERCENT increase?

   Unfortunately too many people will read only a headline and a paragraph or two and form an opinion. Was the HB game plan to mislead voters to come out and unknowingly vote down a zero mil increase budget? Why not headline this article by saying ‘Town Budget Will Not Increase Your Taxes’?

   On the second point, regarding the school budget, this part of the headline is clearly false. The proposed gross RSD17 budget is never presented in the Aronow article but according to the Superintendent that budget is up 1.6%. It is important for people to know that it is the gross budget which ratchets the amount the district must spend in future years per state statute. This is important but was not pointed out. Instead, the headline reads school budget down 1.5% which is Haddam’s portion of the RSD17 budget because this particular year there was a shift in the Haddam school census compared to that of Killingworth.

   So juxta positioning a misleading number about the cost of town government with an inappropriate (if you prefer that word over ‘false’) number about school spending is a clever way to try to influence public opinion to oppose this the town budget. And quite frankly I find this type of journalism aberrant.

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