Opinion: Tax Hikes Loom Heading into the Annual Budget Process

FAIRFIELD, CT — Budget season for the Town of Fairfield begins in earnest next month. Why are we bringing this to your attention now? Mismanagement by the Gerber administration has led to an alarming departure of employees and created operational instability that threatens our Town's future, which is set to cost Fairfield taxpayers millions while delivering fewer services.

This impending fiscal crisis will directly impact our wallets and the Town’s financial stability. As a result, we all must pay attention to the details and learn how to help stop it.

Since First Selectman Gerber took office, 11 employees have resigned, including key staff in Human Resources, Parks & Recreation, and Engineering—departures that disrupted operations and drained institutional knowledge. Three of these employees reported directly to David Becker, who holds three critical roles—interim CFO, COO, and Emergency Management Director—despite not meeting the Town Charter criteria that require the CFO to have relevant financial qualifications or a CPA.

The mismanagement of the Gerber administration begs many questions, and the public deserves answers:

1. Who is managing the Town's $370 million budget?
2. Why has the critical role of Chief Financial Officer not been filled in over a year?
3. Why are valued employees leaving, and what is being done to address morale?
4. Why does one uncredentialed individual hold three key management roles?
5. Why was the interim CFO/COO given a $100k town vehicle with emergency services lights and equipment? And why is he responding to emergency calls as the “Emergency Management Director” while juggling two other full-time jobs?
6. Why was Fire Chief Denis McCarthy removed as Emergency Management Director?
7. Why have new departments and positions been created outside of budgeted guidelines violating the Town Charter*?
8. With capital project planning increasing by hundreds of millions of dollars, how will the Town address the Wastewater Treatment Plant’s infrastructure needs and financial instability without significant sewer fee increases?

These failures come at a steep cost. Taxpayers are left with funding inefficiency, while vital services and necessary positions remain unaddressed. Where is the fiscal responsibility and transparency Gerber promised during his election campaign?

As budget season looms, Fairfield’s leadership appears unprepared. The current failures are unacceptable. Fairfield’s future depends on immediate change.

To avoid another tax hike, including sewer fee increases, write to the Board of Finance, BOF@fairfieldct.org, and urge them to step in immediately. Demand they provide their statutorily required financial oversight, investigate charter violations tied to unbudgeted positions and hold the administration accountable for spending taxpayer money on a $100,000 emergency vehicle for a civilian role outside the approved budget.

*Town Charter: § 12.7. Expenditure in excess of appropriation forbidden. No Town officer, board, commission, authority, committee, or department shall expend any sum for any purpose in excess of the amount appropriated by the Town for such purpose unless such expenditure shall first be approved, and appropriate transfers in the budget made, by the Board of Finance.

Town Administration unilateral changes to the Town operating budget expenditures NOT APPROVED by the Town bodies during the annual budget process:

1. Creation of a Capital Projects Department with new staff including:
   1. transferring a Project Manager from another department and significantly increasing the salary by over $17,000
   2. transferring a Civil Service Engineer from another department and reclassifying the position to Construction Manager
   3. multiple Construction Managers
   4. a part-time Project Specialist
2. Adding a Full-Time Grants Manager; increasing salary from part-time to full-time and adding benefits
3. Increasing the Interim Fire Chief's salary beyond the Fire Chief's budgeted salary line
4. Adding a second Deputy Fire Chief
5. Purchasing two new fire command vehicles
6. Purchasing an emergency services vehicle for the Interim CFO/COO/Emergency Services Director; previously the Emergency Services Director received a small stipend
7. Reclassifying 2 positions in the HR department and increasing the salaries
8. Adding an HR FOIA analyst position
9. Reclassifying the vacant Budget Director position and increasing the salary

To date, none of these financial changes have been presented to the Board of Finance for approval. First Selectman Gerber has yet to disclose this information to the taxpaying residents. This may not be a complete list.