Op-ED: Tolland Council Chairman, Vice Chairman On Budget Process

TOLLAND, CT — The following commentary is authored by Democratic Chairman of the Tolland Town Council Steven Jones and John Reagan, the republican vice chairman of the Tolland Town Council.

"The past few years have been incredibly challenging for local government, especially for more rural communities like ours when it comes to crafting a budget that meets the needs of our neighbors both young and old. Dramatic increases to insurance claims and inflationary costs on road maintenance and waste management have been of significant concern, as well as continuing to be an attractive community to live in and work for. As we moved through the process, the two political parties had very clear desires and visions for this budget.

"Ultimately though, we as a council sought to work together and seek compromise where we could. We assisted the Board of Education's insurance claims with $200,000 in ARPA funds on a near-unanimous 6-1 vote. We ultimately adopted a budget to be voted on by the entire community at referendum on May 2 by a bi-partisan margin of 5-2 that maintained the manager's education proposal, reduced spending by $140,000 on the town and found savings of $50,000 for our debt payments.

"It was without a doubt a difficult, nearly three-hour discussion and debate that left no one member on council absolutely satisfied. But we did so knowing we were doing the best work possible to support our whole town.

"This is why we are encouraging our neighbors to vote YES on May 2nd for a budget that supports our town to the best of our abilities in the face of ongoing financial challenges."