THE BUDGET IS SET....GOOD JOB


Over the past few month's there have been countless meetings, long hours, and many pizza's devoured by the member's of the Enfield Town Council, but it was worth it all.

On Monday May 15 2006, after over an hour of voting on amendments to the Town Managers proposed budget, the entire Town Council voted with one voice to approve the 2006-2007 budget.

At the beginning of the budget season I suggested that the Town Council should attempt to work together. I spoke of the need that once a new Town Manager is chosen, that it would be great if the person received a unanimous vote. I also said that in such a tough budget year, the Council needs to work as one team, not two political parties. Well, they did just that and my compliments to both Democrats and Republicans.....Great Job!

So, back to the budget. What are some of the main points to the budget?

There are a few things that were done and I am sure not without a lot of blood, sweat and tears in the process.

The total budget for next fiscal year is $111.4 million dollars which is a 4% increase over the previous budget. This increase in the budget represents an increase in the Enfield School budget by 4.4%, along with a number of capitol improvement items above that, including the new boiler at Fermi High School.

The increase in the school budget fell short of the recommendation of the Budget Advisory Committee and the request of the School Board. But, it is the largest increase to education that we have seen in a number of years.

The Council also held the line on overtime on the town side of the budget with a decrease of 10% across the board. This was a prudent move on their part and it was one reason why education could make some advancement.

There was some disagreement though during the amendment and adjustment part of the meeting. No, it was not a brawl or a highly intense attack of words. It was mainly over the issue of creating a full-time I. T. leadership position. The opposition was voiced on both sides of the aisle with Councilman Kaupin and Edger's agreeing to vote in the negative.

The bottom line is that this was the most boring meeting I have ever been to in Enfield. No fights. No mean looks. No political party maneuvering. No long speeches so the press could quote you. No split votes along party lines. No shouts or grunts from the audience. It was simply a calm meeting with many things accomplished.

But, you know it was the way it should be if Enfield is going to be cared for by our elected leaders. So to our Town Council I say....thanks for the good work. You worked hard, kept education a top priority, and held the line on property tax increases to under one percent.

So, what's next?

Greg Stokes
Note: Christopher Bromson will soon complete his tenure as Interim Town Manager. I just want to say that he has done a fine job in this role for the past few months. Also we all need to say a big "well done" to Asst. Town Manager Dan Vindigni. Dan is a class act all the way and serves the Town of Enfield with great energy. He is not all about the title, but about the work...that's character!