(Not Quite) The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

We’re about to enter the most contentious part of the calendar across the state, municipal budget formulation season with hearings, creation, and adoption. And here in Norwich, without having to pretend to be psychic, I can already predict we will be using phrases like 'a very challenging year,' and 'filled with difficult choices.' As I said, I'm not channeling Kreskin, but rather, recycling quotes from across the years and a variety of those who have served on City Councils offered previously.

Part of the challenge (actually, I suspect it's MOST of the challenge) confronting the City Manager who formulates/creates a draft budget and the (currently six) members of the City Council including the mayor who refine and approve it, is finding an affordable balance between what we. the residents want/expect/demand of city government in terms of goods and services, and what we are willing/able to pay. 

Every year, no matter the political composition, the Council is faced with our insistence that while we all want to go to heaven, no one wants to die. They must decide and it’s never easy. It's the classic conundrum: what's the most we can have for the least we must pay?

For some perspective, the rate of inflation in 2022 across the United States was 6.5% while the city's Grand List of taxable property grew by 2%. I think we can all guess what the gap between those two figures means as budget deliberations begin, and 'good news' is NOT the phrase that comes to mind.

Enlarging and enhancing the grand list is critical to growing our community and complements the other primary function of municipal government, controlling and managing expenses. That's why the (unsuccessful) efforts to create a second business park will, in hindsight, be regarded, I think, differently than they are currently.

Some online commenters suggested the City Council's decision was another example of keeping the No in Norwich, but as someone who doesn't live in Occum, I understand how Norwich neighbors who do felt and why. It just means it’s time for a different and better idea.

The need to find/create revenues did not go away because of the vote that night, but the urgency increased. And while we as a city have more wants than wallet to fund them again this budget season, it doesn't mean we can avoid making hard, but informed choices.

But to be informed, we must choose to be engaged. Shutting our eyes and ears while opening our mouths accomplishes nothing. None of our city government is a mystery, it all happens right in front of us, but we must choose to be witnesses and ideally participants instead of playing the victim card as often as so many of us do.

On the city's website is the schedule of every department hearing (for everyone who requests our money from our City Council) including the public hearings, where/when we turn up and turn out to speak (and hopefully listen as well) about the budget process, all the way through to final adoption of our budget early in June.

All of it happens in Council Chambers and is carried on public excess access television and can also be viewed on the city's website. Show up and speak up because we can no longer afford silence.
-bill kenny