Table of Contents
Aid for Farmers
| At our most recent Town Council meeting, the Democrats on Town Council unanimously supported sending a proposal for grants to aid our farmers to the Board of Finance for consideration. These grants, which are funded entirely with Federal ARPA monies and have no direct impact on Glastonbury taxpayers, would offer a one-time “hand up” to our farmers of up to $10k. This has been an extraordinary year for our farming community. From late freezes to unprecedented flooding, our farmers have met with disaster at every turn. Yet they continue to hustle–there is no alternative in farming. They plant, they harvest, they show up at farmer’s markets, community events, and host farm dinners to stay afloat. In a year when we have all faced the challenges of inflation, our farmers have faced the additional hurdle of destructive weather. While longer-term support and solutions to the climate crisis for farmers needs to be addressed, we are grateful to be able to offer these grants to the backbone of our community. While at least one of our colleagues believe this proposal to be “inappropriate” and that it is “not the responsibility of Glastonbury taxpayers to support farming businesses” to help sustain our farming community, we firmly believe that our community as we know it is defined by our proud farming history. The guidelines for application are outlined in our most recent council packet. While the details are still being hammered out, and the program requires approval from the Board of Finance, we are hopeful that we can offer much-needed help to our farming friends and neighbors and maintain a crucial piece of the fabric of our community. |
Paying a Bit Less
| Last week, the Glastonbury Town Council, as part of their regular duties, voted on setting fees for various town services. With the cost of some services going up, including rates at the transfer station, the Democrats on the Council believed that increasing the discount for seniors at the transfer station from 10% to 25% was a good idea. Seniors in our town arguably pay a disproportionate amount in taxes in comparison to the services that they use. Giving something back to our seniors, however small, seemed to be an idea that everyone could get behind. Unfortunately, this only passed because of unanimous Democratic support; all our Republican colleagues declined. The economics behind the idea were simple, the change would cost the town $16,750, a small fraction of a $172.7 million budget. To compensate for the decreased revenue, we put forth an increase in fees at bulky waste of $8 per ton of materials hauled to the facility, bringing the overall cost to $113 per ton. Doing this provides a net zero cost to the overall budget and has no effect on the tax rate.It was suggested by some of our Republican colleagues that we’re now providing breaks to seniors by charging seniors more at bulky waste. While no hard data exists on the number of seniors individually hauling over 4 tons of materials to bulky waste every year the equivalent of the break seniors are receiving we are quite sure that the number is dwarfed by the number of seniors who will be paying a bit less at the transfer station. We believe that we should do all that we can to help our seniors stay in the town that they love and helped build. Every small step in that direction is a positive one. |
Running for Relection
| This campaign season, I have foregone all the letters urging you to vote for me. I put thought into once again pestering friends and supporters to add to the noise of the letters to the editor section this year. I’ve graciously and gratefully declined a number of offers. Instead, I’m hopeful that I have done well enough in my three terms on the council so that my record will speak for itself. If you don’t know me, I’m the current vice chairman of the council. I’m a 29-year resident of Glastonbury, along with my wife and two children. I serve as the council’s rep to CRCOG, several subcommittees, and am the rep to the Glastonbury Education Foundation. Professionally, I work as an infrastructure engineer, and I have over 33 years of municipal experience So, what have I worked for, and how have we fared? My primary focus has been on taxes and keeping them as low as possible. This past year, revaluation shifted a significant portion of property taxes from commercial to residential properties. That factor, which the council has no control over, raised the average residential tax bill by 3% all on its own. Without reval, our tax increases have been 0.9%, 0%, 1.1%, 1.4%, and 1%, well under the rate of inflation, and historic lows in our town. We have done this while protecting our schools and without giving them a blank check. Beyond that, other priorities have been and will continue to be acquiring and preserving open space, affordable housing, public safety, and protecting the New England aesthetic of our town. We have made multiple land purchases, including, most significantly, Rose’s Berry Farm and the MDC property. We purchased the Nye Road property and are working to create affordable workforce housing so that our workers can live in the town that they work in, and our seniors have an opportunity to stay in town. When faced with public safety problems, we have worked with our police to support their efforts to reduce crime. And we have worked on several zoning issues in an effort to preserve the look and feel of Glastonbury. Most importantly, I have strived to always have an open mind in every discussion. My votes are not, and never have been, about party. The vast majority of our votes are bipartisan. I have no issue voting with our colleagues in the other party or disagreeing with my own, and my colleagues in my party can and will do the same. While we can disagree, we are able to do it in a respectful manner. Hopefully, I have earned your vote, and I ask that you consider me when you vote on Nov. 7. My resolve in working for Glastonbury will not change. We’re all volunteers, and it’s never easy, but when I drive down the street through our beautiful town, I shake my head knowing that what we do is well worth it. |
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