Weston Candidate Profile: Jeff Farr For Board of Finance

WESTON, CT — The 2019 municipal election is heating up in Weston and there are plenty of races with candidates eager to serve in elected office.

Weston Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as election day draws near.

Jeff Farr, a 35-year Weston resident, is running for re-election to the Board of Finance. A former civil engineer with graduate work in finance and accounting and management consulting experience in the services industry, Farr was also a member of the Town's Planing & Zoning Board for 11 years.

Reducing the number of school buildings from four to three is just one of the suggestions Farr has for tackling the increasing mill rate coupled with a low demand for construction:

• Consequences of falling Grand List: We have just seen the impact from a 7 percent decrease in Weston’s Grand List as a result of the 2018 revaluation. While the overall year-to-year budget increased 3 percent, the mill rate increased over 10 percent to 32.37, placing Weston above all neighboring towns except Redding. The tax burden also shifted from the top quartile of homes by market value to the bottom quartile of homes, the homes generally seen as attractive for young families moving into the community.
• Weston’s future: The Grand List will remain largely unchanged until the next revaluation in five years. There is little demand for new house construction or opportunity for commercial development barring changes in zoning. Therefore it is imperative that the Town do everything possible to maintain house values and increase its market appeal relative to adjacent towns while keeping annual budget increases 2 percent or less. This will require investing in public infrastructure (roads, library expansion, police/communications center), amenities (Town green, community programs, transportation alternatives), and community services (expanded pre-K school).
• Managing the change: Weston has a strong bond rating and its bond capacity will be increasing over the next few years as the existing bonds for school construction mature. This bonding capacity can be leveraged to bring our aging road infrastructure up to par with other towns. Funding road upgrades with bonds vs. the Town’s operating budget will reduce the annual budget. Despite decreasing enrollment, the school’s budget has continued to rise partly due to the expense of operating four separate buildings. Ongoing studies indicate that annual savings could be realized through consolidation to three buildings. There may also be opportunities to outsource non-core school and town services reducing future benefit and pension liabilities. More prudent replacement, purchase, and maintenance of town equipment could also provide budget savings over the longer term (lease vs. purchase, rent vs. buy special equipment, preventative maintenance vs. repair).