Town finance committees around Eastern Connecticut have begun the task of preparing budgets for the 2010-2011 fiscal year which commences on July 1, 2010. I’ve been involved in local politics since the mid-80’s and budget season is never easy. Sometimes it can be downright ugly. I remember a particularly contentious year when we found it necessary to have a police presence at Ledyard High School for the Annual Town Meeting.
Budget seasons can be divisive for a town. When it comes to evaluating a town budget, a senior citizen on a fixed income won’t share the same perspective as a mother of 2 elementary school children. Voting on a budget can even become a sport as Stonington demonstrated two years ago when it took 5 tries before the voters agreed on a budget. While I support a person’s right to vote against a budget, I don’t support voting no for the hell of it and I’ve seen that happen too.
As an elected official, the lack of interest during budget deliberations can be pretty frustrating. Too often, taxpayers wait until too late to become involved and then wonder exactly what happened. In Ledyard, as in nearly every town in the region, there is plenty of opportunity to follow the budget process. The local newspaper coverage is woefully inadequate but if you are willing to attend a few meetings, you’ll be better prepared to make an informed voting decision, and I can promise most town officials are interested in citizen input.
