Enfield Patch Questions the Candidates - Town Council At-Large, Part 2

On Oct. 12, 2011, Enfield Patch sent a series of questions to all 25 candidates for the Enfield Town Council and Board of Education. Responses from the candidates are being published throughout this week.

Today we are featuring comments from at-large candidates for Town Council. This article will highlight answers to the second question posed; this morning, responses to question one were printed, and later this afternoon, the answers to question three will be published.

Key: D - Democrat; R - Republican; I - Incumbent

Question 2: The town's mill rate has remained at 23.88 for four years. Do you feel the rate can continue at this level, and if so, at what expense in terms of community services?

Carol Hall (R-I): Holding the line on the tax rate in town has been an arduous and difficult process. We have had to restructure departments in the town hall, seek efficiencies in our school department, research and apply for more federal and state grants. Do I think this mill rate will remain the same is a difficult question because there are so many factors that will play into the answer to that question. A lot of what happens with the town budget is dependent on what the state and the federal funding is to the town. As we are all aware, the state and the federal budgets are not in good shape, which means the trickle down reimbursements to the town level becomes smaller and smaller. For the town council and their board of education partners, we have to search for more efficiencies or pass on a tax increase to the homeowner and our businesses. The budget process in these economic times is the most difficult in the seven years I have served on the town council. But we will continue to look for ways to hold the line on taxes as much as possible and continue to provide the services our town has come to expect.

Tom Arnone (D): Our federal and state elected officials, along with members of the town council and board of education, must ensure that Enfield taxpayers get the most out of their hard earned tax dollars. I am a father of four, and my family, like many families in town, depends on two incomes to survive. I know how hard it is to make ends meet in these difficult economic times. Therefore, I believe we need to keep our education standards high so our children can compete in today’s global marketplace. We need to repair our town’s infrastructure in order to attract new businesses, and at the same time we must make Enfield a place where our seniors can live in dignity so that they can enjoy their grandchildren growing up.

Bill Lee (R-I): Enfield’s property tax mill rate - the ratio calculation used to measure a taxpayers’ burden as it relates to the Town’s annual budget and the value of a property has been unchanged for the last four budget cycles. It is presently 23.88. It is unlikely to remain fixed at this level for multiple reasons. First, the results of the 2011 property revaluation will require an adjustment to the ratio. If the overall grand list value goes down, then the mill rate will require a corresponding adjustment up. If the Grand List value were to rise, then the mill rate would be pro-rated lower. Neither case, however, would directly affect the Town’s revenue and spending plans. The budget plan, which has a direct effect on the tax burden, will be impacted by the municipal aid formulas the State of Connecticut intends to use over the next few years. All signs point to lower amounts of aid, and reduction of State assistance to towns. And third, when the new Council is seated, they will need to begin to assemble their own set of goals promptly in order to have those initiatives factored into the Town Manager’s budget planning efforts, which have recently commenced each December. The goals and initiatives determine the spending side. The aid package, fees, grants, and the grand list determine how much revenue will be on hand using the mill rate to make the calculation for property taxes.

Patrick Crowley (D-I): It is quite simple: the cost of doing business is going up, so unless we find a better way to do business or a new revenue source, you either cut services, or increase taxes. The state of CT is not going to anytime soon increase their budget to the Town of Enfield, so we have some very tough times in our future. I do not hear any candidate promising they will not raise taxes these next two years without cutting services, as we have heard in the past. One bright spot is with the state building a brand new public safety high school here in Enfield, I believe the town does not need three high schools, so there will be some savings down the road there.

Ken Nelson (R-I): I believe this question is too open-ended.  With the State of Connecticut's current budget problems, Enfield does not know what we will be faced with in our next budget. I feel that the Republican majority has shown and proven we are not quick to raise the taxes. I will not cut the services that are vital to ALL of our residents.

Bob LeMay (D): It is unfair to make predictions about the mill rate without knowing what our next town budget will look like. There are simply too many unknown variables at this point for me to give an absolute answer. However, I can say that, if elected, I will make sure that all of our hard earned tax dollars are spent wisely by doing more with less. I am very confident that I can work with all of our town council members to bring forth a budget that will be fair and in the best interest of our community.

Greg Stokes (R): Enfield has had a level tax rate for four years. We have worked hard to bring about change and new efficiencies in our town and school system operations that allowed us to maintain the mill rate through the budgetary process. Whether that stability can continue will depend on a few dynamics. One, what happens on the State level in the next two budgets will determine whether we can continue this course of action. Two, with stimulus money going away for the school system, the High School reorganization becomes more of a priority. As the transition occurs , there ought to be savings realized at  each phase. Third, growing the grand list will be important. If we continue to attract and maintain our business and commercial activity to Enfield, we can offset a possible increases to residential taxes. With that said, we must maintain quality services to our town and schools. No one can guarantee that a change in the tax rates may not be necessary until the full Council begins to review its goals, understand the revenue projections, and assemble the budget. I will work to maintain the lowest taxes possible, while maintaining town and educational needs.

Cindy Mangini (D-I): Our state and federal government are going through many fiscal challenges, along with our municipalities. Therefore, towns will not receive an accurate projection about the level of funding they will receive until both the state and federal budgets are enacted for the upcoming year. With this in mind, it will be challenging for Enfield to keep the mill rate at the current level without cutting or sharply reducing community services such as social services, public works, and public safety, just to name a few.