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Beware the Wedge of Charter "Adjustment"
By Ray Pavlak, Winsted
Recently, I wrote in praise of the last Charter Revision Commission’s accomplishment, a change in our town charter which added one step in obtaining the townspeople’s approval of each Board of Selectmen’s proposed annual budgets [Thank You for Voting on the Budget, June 14]. I warned the reader then that this change, which was won after a long struggle, would need to be carefully guarded. Why? Because of the constant threat posed by those who believe they have all the answers and think it is more efficient to control town affairs from the top down.
Well, here they come again, those opponents of openness and wider voter participation in governmental policy-making. What do they want? According to an article in the Waterbury Republican-American on June 18 [Winsted officials want to speed up budget process], some selectmen think a new Charter Revision Commission should be established. Why? To look at the automatic budget referendum, a charter change approved just last year.
As we get to the nub, they say "they don’t want to change the new formula, just adjust it so adopting the budget could happen faster." Doesn’t adjusting mean changing? And why does the budget need to be adopted faster? Town Manager Margaret Johnson says, "It's a real problem when it comes to getting tax bills out." Now, I can agree that it is nicer and neater when the annual budget has been approved before July 1, so that the tax bills can be sent before that date. However, human affairs—whether in private business or in government—are seldom so neatly or efficiently handled. (Witness Enron and Arthur Andersen.)
Even if the budget is approved after July 1, taxpayers are not off the hook. The law provides that, in this event, town government will operate based on the previous year's budget, and tax bills will be based on this mill rate. When the new budget is approved, a supplemental tax bill might have to be sent out—no earth-shattering event.
What could be threatening are the changes or "adjustments" that have been talked about by some of the selectmen, including eliminating the town meeting and the automatic referendum on the selectmen’s proposed budget. If such changes passed, the people would lose not only the opportunity to be informed by discussion but also the power to amend the budget.
Talk about wasting time: I have seen years where the selectmen passed, repassed and repassed again budget proposals which were all basically the same—because they didn’t have to go back to the town meeting.
No, our nation’s Founding Fathers and our town fathers and mothers established a system of checks and balances that can be time-consuming, but it is the best defense against self-interest and corruption—and this is a defense that will be needed at least until, as Jefferson might put it, men are angels.
Freedom and democracy require constant vigilance. Beware the opening wedge!
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