Board of Selectmen Meeting April 9,2018

Board of Selectmen Meeting April 9, 2018

On Thursday April 5, 2018, the Board of Finance held a public hearing on all budgets submitted to them to review and decide whether the budgets should be forwarded for a vote on the Referendum on all budgets.

A Special Meeting of the Board of Finance had to be held to clean up the wording on the budgets and all the moving parts for the Referendum vote.

At the Public Hearing the public of three residents were listening along with Town staff and elected officials to a dysfunctional Board of Finance that was unprepared to resolve institutional failures in judgment.

The elected Chairman was unprepared to resolve bloated budgets, Capital and CNR budgets paid with cash and renovations of $23,903,620 to Henry James Middle School prior to a feasibility study.

The Board of Finance had discussions of transfer of funds, adding and subtracting funds to and from budgets without any clarity on need or discussion of unintended consequences of encumbering the taxpayers for many years with these expenditures.

With only 6% of the voting public participating in the Referendum, it is the responsibility of the Board of Finance to forward a fiscally responsible budget and not pass the buck to the taxpayers.

The Board of Finance has the mandate to provide the final decision on all expenditure and revenue budgets. However, they have not only failed miserably in their fiduciary responsibilities but have submitted a budget to the public to vote for or against the expenditures that the Board of Finance has refused to resolve.

The General Fund (savings account) should not be used to increase budgets but to reduce taxes.

Since the Board of Finance has refused to do the heavy lifting through their irresponsible actions, the taxpayers should reject all budgets until the Board of Finance can do their homework and provide the taxpayers with responsible budgets.

I have repeatedly come before the Board of Selectmen with my concerns of Jamie Rabbitt, Director of Planning and Community Development and Jamie Rabbitt remains in his position. Failure to act is completely unacceptable.

On February 4, 2018, under the Freedom of Information Act, I asked to review Jamie Rabbitt’s Personnel File. I received a letter from Town Manager Maria Capriola, stating, “We anticipate having the documents ready for your review no later than Friday, April 20, 2018.”

I recently reviewed the expenditures that Jamie Rabbitt submitted for reimbursement from his credit card that had reimbursements for State taxes that should have been eliminated with a tax free number. Therefore, I would expect that Jamie Rabbitt reimburse the taxpayers for these expenditures. If he refuses to reimburse the Town, my only resolve would be to take him to Small Claims Court for reimbursement on behalf of the taxpayers.

I am concerned about one of the Agenda items c) Proposed Public Gathering Permits. According to the Event Summary for the Terrapin Band the event description states,” Simsbury Summer Solstice featuring Terrapin is a day long summer music festival featuring local bands and headlined by Terrapin Band. Terrapin is the ultimate Grateful Dead experience.” It is alleged that the “Grateful Dead” concerts bring patrons that use marijuana. I was told that Concerts bring patrons with marijuana use and without accepting this provision; concerts will not come to Simsbury.

It appears that Dave Ryan, President of the Simsbury Performing Arts Center has designated the area as a Sanctuary area where Marijuana use is condoned along with all mind-altering drugs. These concerts are inappropriate on Town owned property whether it is provided by the Simsbury Performing Arts or any other organization.

It appears that Simsbury Meadows has become a destination place for Marijuana use by the public and condoned by the public officials.

Will the $5,000 in the budget for the Chamber of Commerce and Tourist Bureau be used to encourage visitors to participate in concerts that encourage the use of marijuana and other mind-altering drugs? Will the brochure welcome the visitors to SIN CITY?

What message do we send to our youth when public safety is ignored? Why should anyone be subjected to mind-altering drugs when going to a concert?

Since this concert will be a daylong event will people be allowed to use mind-altering drugs throughout the Town if they have a wrist bracelet for the Terrapin Band event? Is Simsbury becoming Woodstock with trailer camps and drug use? The Board of Selectmen is responsible for the health and safety of community. Using the approval process from all members on the Gathering Permit process for cover for approving Gathering Permit does not have this level of acceptability from the Board of Selectmen. Do not hide behind the approval process from others to rubber stamp the permit.

I am asking the Board of Selectmen to deny this event as inconsistent with values of the community.