Proposed Budget Will Be Devastating

On Saturday, July 20 the residents of Winsted will once again be asked to vote in a referendum to accept or reject the proposed budget for the next fiscal year. Before going to the polls I urge every citizen to be sure that you are well informed of all the facts.

Fact #1 — At a town meeting which had approximately 120 people in attendance, about 70 people voted to accept a 2-1/2 % reduction of all line items.

Fact #2 — Before that town meeting, this budget had already included a cut of $460,000 from education, which will be devastating to many of the children whom we should be committed to serving.

Fact #3 — Some people who are members of the Winchester Taxpayer's Association are also on the Board of Education. Is this a conflict of interest? You decide! We were encouraged to vote against the education budget by the same people who drafted it, supposedly to save the townspeople money.

Fact #4 — After the aforementioned people successfully defeated the education budget, they went on to sabotage a grant that not only would have helped the young people in our town who are attending the Alternate High School, but the loss of which could wind up costing our town approximately $1.5 million. The grant money that we could have received would have reduced the town's commitment by $11,000 annually.

Fact #5 — The Gilbert School, being semi-private, is not obliged to absorb the population of the Alternate High School. In fact, a majority of the students were sent to the Alternate School from Gilbert. Their mission statement says that the education of each child will be provided (but it will be provided the way they choose). If they elect to outplace these children, which is their prerogative, the bill will be sent to the town of Winchester—i. e., you! You do the math: we could have saved $11,000; or we can spend $60,000 per child x 25 = $1.5 million.

Fact #6 — In the eighteen years that my family and I have lived in Winsted, never once have I heard the people of the Winchester Taxpayer's Association inform the elderly or the struggling families of the programs that are available through Social Services. I have heard what I perceive to be scare tactics to promote their own agendas.

Fact #7 — For your information, I inquired as to the programs that Social Services provides: (a) state and federal money for elderly and disabled; (b) Operation Fuel; (c) general emergency assistance; (d) medication; (e) advocacy work for Connecticut PACE and food stamps; and (f) budget counseling.

I urge you to vote NO on the referendum and force our elected officials to work for the benefit of all our townspeople, especially the marginalized and weakest among us.