Chairman's View: 11 Resolutions for 2019 (Dec. 31, 2018)

Chairman’s View: 11 resolutions for 2019

DECEMBER 31, 2018 BY JOHN ENGEL. CHAIRMAN, TOWN COUNCIL

When Advertiser reporter Grace Duffield asked for a New Canaan resolution, I could hardly stop at one. Here’s 10 more. We have much to do in 2019.

1. Bike paths from New Canaan to the Darien beaches. Darien suggested this. Get state permission to paint the bike stripe down South Avenue. What are we waiting for? Also contract to add bike rental racks at Waveny, Irwin Park, Waveny Park, Kiwanis Park, the Glass House and Grace Farms. Stamford is offering bike rentals downtown.
2. Recycling: Let’s get serious. New Canaan now pays $197,000 to sort garbage, up 5 times, and this is just the beginning. We must separate glass from plastic from garbage. Ban supermarket plastic bags. Reuse and recycle paper bags.
3. Caffeine & Carburetors: Bring it downtown permanently. Ask all stores to open those mornings. Help wanted in stores? Tell us what you need. We all volunteer to help.
4. It’s time to paint the big Waveny water tower and take the unused tower down. It’s metal, so put a massive New Canaan Rams  car magnet on it. Change it periodically. Special messages for Darien games.
5. Resolve to post more positively, not negatively, on social media with constructive ideas and thanks. The rest of the world is watching.
6. No more stolen cars. Resolution for everybody to get in the habit of taking their keys with them. Strengthen neighborhood watch. Work together to watch out for each other.
7. We have new Board of Education leadership. With this change I hope to see the board present a budget within Board of Finance guidance instead of passing the Superintendent’s budget without challenge and then fighting with town government for status quo. Change the paradigm.
8. The end of political yard signs. We can’t ban them. We need a gentleman’s agreement. All it takes is the willingness of the two parties. If a candidate sees he is the only one littering the town with signs for a month he won’t do it.
9. The end of real estate signs in residential neighborhoods. P&Z promised they would address this. All other commercial signs are banned so why is real estate the lone exception? This one is obvious.
10. I want preservationists to objectively rate our buildings and work with the town on a long-term public private plan instead of criticizing each new proposal one at a time.  What restrictions should be put on the sale of Vine Cottage, the Playhouse, the Police Station? Is the Library really sacred? It’s time to make choices. How can we sustain rentable assets like Gores Pavilion, Vine and Waveny as long-term break-even propositions?
11. High speed electric car charging stations downtown? This initiative is aimed at tourists since residents charge at home. Encourage Merritt Parkway transients to shop or eat here while charging. Our Parking Commission should identify ideal locations, both public and private, and market their existence online.

Chairman's View: On Bags and Budgets (Feb. 4, 2019)

Chairman’s View: On bags and budgets

FEBRUARY 7, 2019 BY JOHN ENGEL, CHAIRMAN, TOWN COUNCIL

The Town Council is considering a proposed townwide ban of supermarket plastic bags. Letters are starting to pour in. Supporters of the ban cite the environmental impact. Opponents of a ban say we are chipping away at freedom and personal choice.

Greenwich, Stamford and Westport banned the bags; Darien will be next. Will New Canaan’s decision rest on the more successful write-in campaign? Fewer than 25 people have weighed in. We all want to get greener but do we need more laws? We want to hear your thoughts.

The Budget. The First Selectman declared victory this week, proposing the lowest budget increase in a decade, up 0.16%, with two highlights: One is the way we look at contingency, consolidating department contingencies into one account at the town level. The second is a hiring freeze. Both seem sensible. If passed the mill rate will increase from 16.96 to 18.32 this year. Unfortunately, next year our debt service is forecast to rise and I fear the mill rate may rise with it, making us less competitive with Darien and Westport.

Our Superintendent of Schools brought in a school budget, up 2.05%, and believes we are done because they met Board of Finance standards published in the fall. We are not. Board of Finance models were based on changing assumptions. The whisper number from the Board of Finance and Town Council is we need another $1.5 million (from a schools budget that only rose a modest $1.4 million). Sound impossible? It may be too hard to turn the ship in one year. We did not get to this point in one year and we may not solve it that quickly. 

Consider that over the past 13 years spending increased 42% while enrollment was flat. In the last seven years spending increased 24% while enrollment decreased 3%. 

Consider that Darien teaches 4,726 students with 767 teachers and administrators whereas New Canaan teaches 4,113 with 749. If we managed to Darien’s ratio of 6.16 we would have 81 fewer staff across our schools. 

This is not a criticism of our schools or a statement that their budget is “fat” It is not. It is simply recognition that to meet Board of Finance debt targets of debt service below 10% in a period of rising interest rates we will have to make long-term systemic changes. If zero growth is too much in one year then perhaps a 3-year plan growing 1% per year is something the Board of Education and Board of Finance can agree on together. Such a plan would bring the mill rate back to a level below 18, reassure a jittery housing market, provide less stress to our schools than year by year cuts, meet Board of Finance long-term debt guidance and would be consistent with “stable but slightly decreasing enrollment” projections from our demographer.

Chairman’s View represents the views of the Town Council chairman and not necessarily those of any other Town Council member.