By: Maria Moore

Before This Evening’s Town Annual Budget Meeting

The New Hartford Annual Budget Meeting, scheduled for this evening at 7:00 p.m. would have,  in times past, brought together voters to debate next year’s budget line by line, make changes where they saw fit, and then approve the budget ~ or not, as was known to happen.

Tonight’s town Annual Budget Meeting, a shadow of its former self, having been stripped of its purpose by the Selectmen at a Special Meeting on Tuesday, April 20, is set to draw only a handful of participants, most of them required to attend by their official roles: the three Selectmen (maybe), the Town Clerk, a Moderator; and one or two reporters.  Why would any voters interrupt their dinner?  No discussion of the proposed budget will be allowed at the meeting and the referendum date of May 4 has already been set.  Even the Board of Selectmen meeting, which should have preceded the Annual Budget Meeting, has been cancelled, and with it, residents’ last opportunity to address the content of the proposed budget before the referendum date.

Our reporter attended the town Annual Budget Meeting that is no longer an Annual Budget Meeting and was back home within a half-hour.

Meeting Summary

At 7:07 p.m., the town Annual Budget Meeting was over.   Reggie Smith, Jr. was elected Moderator, a role Reggie graciously takes on.  He read through the Notice of Annual Budget Meeting, and the Budget, untouched by the Board of Finance at their last meeting, was sent to referendum on the predetermined date of Tuesday, May 4.

Our reporter underestimated the number of people at the meeting. At its beginning, the following were present:

• First Selectman Dan Jerram;
• Selectmen Tom Klebart and Bruce Gresczyk;
• Town Clerk Donna LaPlante;
• Moderator and Board of Finance member Reggie Smith, Jr.;
• Board of Finance Chairman Ben Witte;
• Board of Finance members Roy Litchfield and Laura Sundquist;
• and our reporter.

As the brief meeting concluded, Board of Finance Member Alesia Kennerson joined her fellow Board of Finance members, and the Register Citizen reporter arrived with his video camera.

Conversation With Town Clerk Donna LaPlante

Our reporter checked in with Donna LaPlante and asked if she remembered when the townspeople actually attended Town Budget Meetings to discuss the budget. Donna replied that yes, she remembered it well. “The meetings used to be held at Pine Meadow Elementary to accommodate the people.” Donna said. Our reporter asked if there were really that many people who showed up at the meetings and Donna said that it wasn’t unusual for 100 voters to show up at the Town Budget Meeting. “That’s when they could discuss the budget and cut or eliminate line items from the budget before voting on it.” Donna said.

Elevator Conversation With Ben Witte

Riding down in the elevator one flight with Ben Witte and Bruce Gresczyk, our reporter told Ben that with all the Board of Finance members who showed up at the meeting, she was way off on the estimate she had given in her short report before the meeting. Ben answered that he wasn’t going to go to the meeting, but that on reading the statute he thought he’d better be there in case the budget didn’t go to referendum and he’d be needed to present a budget. As the elevator doors opened, our reporter asked Ben: “You mean you had a budget with you?” At which Ben smiled, holding his portfolio in hand, and the elevator doors closed.

Our Reporter’s/Editor’s Take

There is something slightly uncomfortable in attending a public meeting whose main reason for being has been removed, and at which no public input may be given ~ despite Reggie’s adding that anyone with a question could speak to the First Selectman personally after the meeting.   All present followed an unwritten script, from which there seemed no room for deviation.

Looking back on this 7-minute town Annual Budget Meeting, one has to wonder whether the time has come to bury this construct of a public meeting, and proceed with whatever other form of government should take its place.  This would save the half-dozen or so from the necessity of having to go through a meeting of no substance, just at dinner time.

At the beginning of the Annual Budget Meeting on Tuesday, April 27. Photo: Maria Moore

The Town Budget Meeting on Tuesday, April 27. Photo: Maria Moore