MayorMark's Blog

Charter Revision faces voters this fall.

2009-07-16T12:32:00.000-04:00

At our last Common Council meeting, the Common Council voted to send the work of the Charter Revision Commission to the voters at the fall elections.

The city Charter is similar to our U.S. Constitution. It is the foundation of the organizational structure of our local government.

The charter revision process was smooth with numerous public hearings and input from the public. Many different ideas were discussed and debated, some made it into the final document (changing our bonding limit, renaming and reconfiguring departments to gain efficiencies) other ideas did not (4 year term for elected officials, combining Planning and Zoning Commission).

All in all it was a positive process that engaged the Common Council, the Commission itself, and members of the public.

If adopted by the voters this fall, the new Charter will modernize a document that has not been amended since the early 90’s and will create a stronger more efficient local government.

After Labor Day we will post the “new” Charter online so that members of the public can read the document and decide whether or not to support the proposed changes.

As mayor of Danbury, I believe that this document will make for a better, more responsive government. It represents the combined efforts of many people who were thoughtful and diligent in their decision making.

Most importantly, it realigns government to reflect the new era that we live in. That makes the new Charter good public policy and its implementation will represent a solid foundation for our local government.

Special thanks to Chairman Carlo Marano, the members of the Charter Revision Commission, and special counsel Ric Gottshalk who did an outstanding job drafting the language.

Happy Fourth of July!

2009-07-04T07:16:00.000-04:00

IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America

hen in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their Public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected, whereby the Legislative Powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefit of Trial by Jury:

For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:

For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies

For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & Perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these united Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States, that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. — And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.

— John Hancock

New Hampshire:
Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, Matthew Thornton

Massachusetts:
John Hancock, Samuel Adams, John Adams, Robert Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry

Rhode Island:
Stephen Hopkins, William Ellery

Connecticut:
Roger Sherman, Samuel Huntington, William Williams, Oliver Wolcott

New York:
William Floyd, Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, Lewis Morris

New Jersey:
Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, Abraham Clark

Pennsylvania:
Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Franklin, John Morton, George Clymer, James Smith, George Taylor, James Wilson, George Ross

Delaware:
Caesar Rodney, George Read, Thomas McKean

Maryland:
Samuel Chase, William Paca, Thomas Stone, Charles Carroll of Carrollton

Virginia:
George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson, Jr., Francis Lightfoot Lee, Carter Braxton

North Carolina:
William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, John Penn

South Carolina:
Edward Rutledge, Thomas Heyward, Jr., Thomas Lynch, Jr., Arthur Middleton

Georgia:
Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton

Second stimulus?

2009-07-03T08:34:00.004-04:00

I like Paul Krugman. What's not to like about a Nobel Prize winner? His writing is usually over the top, alarmist, anti-Republican, elitist, and generally obnoxious. He is your classic limousine liberal. But, all in all, he is entertaining. When I read I like to be entertained so Krugman fits the bill (kinda like Maureen Dowd).

Today in the New York Times, he is calling for a second stimulus. That was entertaining reading. By asking for a second stimulus, he is admitting that the first stimulus of 800 billion dollars of tax payer money did not work. In his column, he argues that we need to address the growing crisis of deflation.

Memo to Paul Krugman: We don't need a second stimulus until we fix the first stimulus. I have been saying for months that the first stimulus is inherently flawed because it has failed to do the very thing that Obama administration said it should do. Get the money in the hands of states, counties, and municipalities to start "shovel ready" projects. By starting "shovel ready" (I love that term, but, what does it mean?) projects we will put contractors, construction workers, building trades, and engineers back to work quickly..

Well, here in Connecticut the building season is upon us and.... no stimulus money. Why? Because bureaucracy rules the day with any government organization, especially the federal government.

The feds have made it so onerous and difficult to understand how to access stimulus money, that most municipalities are dumbfounded on the process. Rules, reporting requirements, and general torture for local department heads are the hallmark of the first stimulus mess.

A second stimulus would be worthless at this point because only a small fraction of the infrastructure money has been disbursed some six months after passage of ARRA- the first stimulus program.

If a second stimulus were to pass, a community might see some dollars in 2020...

At that pace, what is the point of mortgaging the future of our children and our children's children?

Can anyone say "Tea Party?"..

In case you missed it:

2009-06-26T10:38:00.006-04:00

Here is a guest post from Andrea Gartner, our head Main St. cheerleader, and Director of CityCenter. Andrea is doing a terrific job as Director of CityCenter so I asked her to do a post for my News-Times blog and she graciously accepted- enjoy:

From time to time I will be turning over this blog to someone in the community, a department head, or a community activist to share their thoughts about Danbury, or to discuss future projects or plans for our city.

Todays guest is Andrea Gartner, Director of CityCenter Danbury.

Andrea, the floor is yours:

Thanks Mayor!

Danbury has always been a place about community and nowhere can the community celebrate better than downtown. At CityCenter, we are working hard to create our downtown as a destination for arts, culture, entertainment, and more.

And it’s working!

This month, the Connecticut Film Festival from June 2-7 brought in a flurry of activity and thousands of attendees and filmmakers and while data is not yet complete, expectations are that the 4500 number of participants from last year will be exceeded. On May 25th, Memorial Day saw throngs of people lining the streets of downtown with police stating it was the largest attendance in years. In February, the Chili Winter Warm-Up in partnership with the Westerners Baseball Team and the Danbury Arena brought in over 650 attendees! CityCenter Danbury is on the map in a way it hasn’t been for decades.

My staff and I welcome the challenge of continued growth even in these uncertain economic times and we feel now, more than ever, that CityCenter Danbury is an important place for the residents of our community to visit and enjoy. Our programming is interesting and affordable – with many events family-friendly and free to the public. Through our varied calendar of events, we are bringing people to our great city.

Encouragement and support from the community has helped to give us the resources to heighten our visibility and take initiatives to a new level in downtown Danbury. Asked to serve on the Mayor’s Task Force for Downtown’s Redevelopment Plan, I’ve been engaged in discussions on the future plan for downtown. CityCenter recently participated in a grant proposal to the CT Historic Trust for a feasibility study on the Palace Theater. We are receiving more calls of interest from people curious about downtown. CityCenter’s elevated profile has gotten the ball rolling: we have reached out to city officials, property owners, business sponsors, non-profit organizations, civic groups, university students and administration, local artists and musicians to broaden the discussion about the importance and necessity of creating a vibrant downtown life and how to do get there.

And the dialogue continues to expand. As the metropolitan area for the Housatonic Valley, we want to know what does the community want its city to deliver? It’s not just up to CityCenter Danbury property owners or the City of Danbury to reshape the region’s downtown. What do the residents of the Greater Danbury area want to see in their city? Come visit us this summer for our free Concerts on the Green Summer Series every Friday and Saturday night beginning July 10th. Try one of new restaurants in town. Share your thoughts with the Mayor’s Main Street Redevelopment Task Force. Explore the diversity which truly makes Danbury an interesting city to visit and a great place to live….and let us know what you think! As always, your comments are welcome………. andreagartner@citycenterdanbury.com

Happy Father's Day!

2009-06-21T07:41:00.002-04:00

Hope all you father's enjoy your special day, and thanks Dad..

Working with the News-Times.

2009-06-10T14:46:00.003-04:00

The News-Times has asked several community members to blog on their home page regarding the issues and concerns that typically make this blog. So from time to time I will cross post or just provide a link to a post on the News-Times site.

Here is a link to my latest post on the Connecticut News site..

Enjoy.

Portuguese Day in the City of Danbury.

2009-06-07T08:48:00.003-04:00

Happy Portuguese Day! Come watch the parade down Main Street (10:15 am), or come the Portuguese Cultural Center and enjoy a great afternoon of food, dance, and entertainment!

Film Festival is a rockin'

2009-06-04T21:39:00.003-04:00

Ya gotta check out some of the films and entertainment going on with the Connecticut Film Festival. It has been an exciting week. For the last two nights we have been hosting films at City Hall, and for both nights there have been good crowds to watch the films.

On Wednesday night I met the Director of "The Fourth Nail", good guy from Westport who made his documentary film about the lives of America's Gypsy's (I know that this may not be the PC term, but the Director assured me that it was ok to us the term- since he is a "Roma") anyway, great film.

So take some time, enjoy a film, there is still three solid days left. Visit the website at www.ctfilmfest.com. for more detailed information.

Have a terrific Memorial Day!

2009-05-25T06:01:00.000-04:00

Headquarters, Grand Army of the Republic
Washington, D.C., May 5, 1868
I. The 30th day of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village, and hamlet churchyard in the land. In this observance no form or ceremony is prescribed, but posts and comrades will in their own way arrange such fitting services and testimonials of respect as circumstances may permit.

We are organized, comrades, as our regulations tell us, for the purpose, among other things, "of preserving and strengthening those kind and fraternal feelings which have bound together the soldiers, sailors, and marines who united to suppress the late rebellion." What can aid more to assure this result than by cherishing tenderly the memory of our heroic dead, who made their breasts a barricade between our country and its foe? Their soldier lives were the reveille of freedom to a race in chains, and their death a tattoo of rebellious tyranny in arms. We should guard their graves with sacred vigilance. All that the consecrated wealth and taste of the Nation can add to their adornment and security is but a fitting tribute to the memory of her slain defenders. Let no wanton foot tread rudely on such hallowed grounds. Let pleasant paths invite the coming and going of reverent visitors and found mourners. Let no vandalism of avarice or neglect, no ravages of time, testify to the present or to the coming generations that we have forgotten, as a people, the cost of free and undivided republic.

If other eyes grow dull and other hands slack, and other hearts cold in the solemn trust, ours shall keep it well as long as the light and warmth of life remain in us.

Let us, then, at the time appointed, gather around their sacred remains and garland the passionless mounds above them with choicest flowers of springtime; let us raise above them the dear old flag they saved from dishonor; let us in this solemn presence renew our pledges to aid and assist those whom they have left among us as sacred charges upon the Nation's gratitude,--the soldier's and sailor's widow and orphan.

II. It is the purpose of the Commander-in-Chief to inaugurate this observance with the hope it will be kept up from year to year, while a survivor of the war remains to honor the memory of his departed comrades. He earnestly desires the public press to call attention to this Order, and lend its friendly aid in bringing it to the notice of comrades in all parts of the country in time for simultaneous compliance therewith.

III. Department commanders will use every effort to make this order effective.

By command of:
JOHN A. LOGAN,
Commander-in-Chief.

N. P. CHIPMAN,
Adjutant-General.

The Clock is running..

2009-05-21T09:00:00.004-04:00

With only two weeks left in the legislative session, the clock is ticking and the legislature still does not have a budget.

This is troubling because of the impact that budgetary decisions of the state could have on local municipalities 2009-2010 budget.

As the NewsTimes reported yesterday, many of the towns in the Greater Danbury area have already adopted spending plans for next year.

Changes to state aid could cause an absolute mess in many communities across Connecticut.

Within two weeks, we will begin printing tax bills for our residents. At this point, we have little choice but to move forward with revenue projections that reflect the numbers provided us by three separate budget proposals. Both the Democrats budget, the Republicans budget, and the Governors budget kept state aid relatively flat for Danbury.

With a 9 billion dollar deficit looming, it is startling to see the legislature discussing and voting on issues that should be low on the priority list. A breathtaking waste of time..

For our state, the issue is the economy, and the budget. Nothing else matters to residents at this point. The legislative leadership on both sides of the aisle, owe Connecticut residents a good faith effort at addressing these two issues.

It is time to seize the moment, think out of the box, and rework how we raise revenue in our state, how we fund basic services, and a debate on the size and the scope of our state government.

Rome is burning, time to stop fiddling and get to work.

Saturdays with the mayor

2009-05-15T11:32:00.001-04:00

Tomorrow, here in City Hall, my office, 9 AM to 12 Noon. Feel free to stop by.

Connecticut Film Festival on its way.

2009-05-13T14:30:00.003-04:00

The website for the Connecticut Film Festival is up and running. This will be an exciting event located at sites throughout the City of Danbury. Get your tickets early! Click the link above for dates and times.

Welcome home.

2009-05-12T10:43:00.003-04:00

Doug Clark shows the City of Danbury flag that he carried with him while on duty in Iraq. The flag is signed by members of his unit from as far away as Alaska. Welcome home Doug, and thank you!

Economic Stimulus: Show me the money.

2009-05-11T13:12:00.008-04:00

One of my all time favorite movies is Jerry Maguire. In the film, Tom Cruise plays a sports agent working for a large sports management firm that represents professional athletes.

In a pivotal moment in the movie, Jerry Maguire has been informed that he has been fired and he decides to go out on his own. He starts calling his clients to convince them to stay on with him in his new one man firm.

Of course Maguire is rebuffed by all with the exception of one athlete, Rod Tidwell, played by Cuba Gooding Jr. Gooding plays a talented but temperamental wide receiver for the Arizona Cardinals.

Who can forget Cuba Gooding Jr's tag line of "Show me the money!" reverberating in the background as Maguire loses client after client to his old firm and watches his life collapse in one big heap.

Lately, many mayors feel like Rod Tidwell. Although many of us have received notification after notification of money that is targeted for our communities from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (in Tidwell's case, the Cardinals promised a big contract) none of us have actually seen any checks from the stimulus package.

When I get one of those ..."congratulations, your community will receive 10 million dollars for the purchase of bio- diesel, corn burning , solar powered vehicles for your police department" from a representative of the state or federal government, like Tidwell, I want to say just one thing:....."Show--- me--- the--- money...!"

I am concerned that the delays in releasing economic stimulus funds because of state and federal bureaucracy, will hinder the economic stimulus program's ability to impact the current economic recession.

Unless these infrastructure dollars are released soon, municipalities across the State of Connecticut will miss the summer construction season- effectively putting off any meaningful infrastructure work until 2010.

In Danbury, a simple paving job on White Street, is tied up with reams of meaningless and useless paperwork from the state and federal government. We may not get to do that work this year.

That means that these dollars won't be creating any jobs, or keep anyone employed.

With the same situation playing out across the State of Connecticut and the United States, we may have an economic recovery without the impact of the stimulus program, which begs the question, will we even need the stimulus program one year from now?

No more phone calls or announcements from Pols doing victory laps. From now on, just "show me the money..." or else I 'm calling Jerry Maguire.

Happy Mothers Day!

2009-05-10T20:11:00.002-04:00

I hope you had a terrific day!

National Day of Prayer

2009-05-07T10:20:00.002-04:00

The first Thursday in the month of May is dedicated as the National Day of Prayer. Please feel free to join us at 12 noon in front of City Hall for a moment to pray for our country, state, and city.

Budget passes.

2009-05-06T10:48:00.002-04:00

Last night the City of Danbury Common Council adopted my proposed 2009-2010 spending plan that was presented at the April 2009 meeting.

The vote was 16-5 with only one change as it relates to the Education budget. The Council wants to explore giving an additional appropriation of $600,000 for the Board of Ed. once the sale of the Roberts Avenue School is completed to the State of Connecticut.

I want to thank the Department heads as well as the Common Council for their hardwork throughout the budget process.

Nice work by the team.

The end of an era.

2009-05-04T19:26:00.003-04:00

Lt James King locks the door on the old Police Station. Forever.

I know, I know, the pig died..

2009-05-03T21:40:00.003-04:00

R.I.P. Daisy, you will be missed.

World Health Organization declares Pandemic Alert Level 5

2009-04-29T22:22:00.003-04:00

This afternoon the World Health Organization has declared a Pandemic alert level 5 on a scale of 1-6.

The heightened alert level means that a pandemic event is imminent and that the spread of the Swine Flu can longer be stopped.

Here in Danbury, we are prepared for any contingency and are ready for any potential out breaks.

We will keep you posted with any new information as we receive it. You can always visit our website for instructions regarding the flu and for any actions that you should take.

I have been in constant contact with the City of Danbury's Director of Health Scott LeRoy, and Danbury Hospital. As of right now, there are no confirmed cases in Danbury.

Should we need to convey critical information to you, you can expect a phone call via our 311 system.

Congratulations to Bryan Sih!

2009-04-27T11:33:00.003-04:00

Danbury High School student Bryan Sih who was awarded a $100.00 prize from State Comptroller Nancy Wyman for is outstanding essay on President Barack Obama. Great job Bryan!!

Danbury Police Station set to open today!

2009-04-21T09:19:00.003-04:00

Come join us today at 3:00 PM as we open our new police station. We will have tours at the conclusion of the grand opening ceremony.

Public Hearing tonight at 7 PM.

2009-04-20T16:02:00.002-04:00

The 2009-2010 budget plan will undergo a Public Hearing tonight at 7 PM in the Common Council chambers. Please feel free to stop down and comment if you have any concerns.

Danbury cares about Danbury.

2009-04-10T09:28:00.004-04:00

At Tuesdays budget address, I announced a new initiative to help our residents navigate their way through the current economic crisis.

Called Danbury cares about Danbury, the program will seek to raise a $20.00 voluntary donation from each property owner to be used for programs run by our non-profits to assist our residents in their time of need.

To do so, I have asked our Tax Collector, Scott Ferguson, to design a form to be included in the June tax bills, that will provide a check off so that taxpayers can choose how their dollars will be put to work.

With 25,000 tax parcels in the city, if each parcel donated just $20.00, that would result in an additional $500,000 of direct aid for our residents!

Danbury cares about Danbury, that is what it is all about!

Danbury Budget Address..

2009-04-08T11:08:00.001-04:00

The City of Danbury’s 2009-2010 Annual Budget

Mayor Mark D. Boughton

Mr. President. Honorable Leaders and Members of the Common Council, Madam Clerk, City Officials, Department Directors, Employees and my fellow Danburians.

In accordance with the my duties as Mayor and those prescribed by the Charter of the City of Danbury, I respectfully present my proposed budget, and the Comprehensive Capital improvement plan for the fiscal year 2009-2010.

Before I begin my budget details, let me say thank you to the legislative body of our city, the Common Council, and its leadership. Our Council spends hours working on the City’s business in a voluntary capacity. In the coming month, they will be giving up their evenings and weekends to deliberate over this body of work. For their dedication and commitment we should all be thankful.

I would also like to thank our Director of Finance David St. Hilaire. David has spent hundreds of hours poring over these numbers and with the aid of his capable assistant Judy Baris, they have been able to create a first class document that all of us can be proud of.

Ladies and gentlemen, as in the past, Danbury stands on strong financial footing. We continue to maintain the highest credit rating and bond rating in our history.

This year I am proud to report to you that Standard and Poor’s, the largest of the three credit rating agencies, has upgraded us because of our sound financial practices and our strong financial performance.

We continue to have one of the lowest effective property tax rates in the state and our sewer and water rates are 100% below the state average.

I would encourage you to review the graphs and charts that are included in your budget. In particular, I would like to point out our low debt service rate and our high fund balance. Both of those numbers continue to remain healthy and strong.

Central to the operation of our local government is our mission statement. Our mission statement defines and drives our purpose and our decision making process in the City of Danbury.

“The City of Danbury’s mission is to ensure a superior quality of life for its citizens by providing the most cost effective municipal services while preserving the cultural, historical and natural resources of the City. We are committed to working with citizens to enhance Danbury’s position as a premier place to live, work, and raise a family in a traditional yet progressive community”

This year’s spending plan reflects that mission, but does so in an increasingly difficult economic environment.

I cannot think of any other time in the history of our city with the exception of the Great Depression, that we have been challenged as we are today.

Let’s make no mistake. The current economic crisis that has engulfed us is not the fault of any of our residents or our city government.

Unfortunately, Wall Street’s irresponsible gambling and the poor decisions made by financial institutions in general, have brought the economic crisis to our Main Street.

This year’s spending plan meets the challenge, but does not relieve us of a burden created by greed and arrogance of the financial industry, that we will be face for years to come.

We are faced with declining revenues in every aspect of the budget.

Specifically, our building permits are down 27.8% reflecting the current national recession.

Our motor vehicle grand list is down $21,000,000 reflecting the slowdown in motor vehicle sales.

Our investment incomes are off by almost 50% reflecting lower interest rates.

Our grand list has dropped by 8 million dollars.

In the coming year, we expect a 22% decline in permits and license revenue.

In response to these challenges, we have already taken a number of proactive steps to help mitigate the downturn in this year’s economy, some of the highlights include:

• Implemented a spending freeze and a hiring freeze.
• Deferred filling 14 positions.
• Implemented a 4 Day work week to save on energy and overtime costs.
• Deferred some capital projects.
• Renegotiated energy costs and other expenditures with our vendors.
• Conducted internal assessments and reviews of financial practices of various departments.
• Reviewed the assignment of city vehicles.

In the 2009-2010 budget, I recommend that we continue these cost cutting practices and in some cases expand on them. In the next fiscal year I am recommending that we:

• Eliminate the14 unfilled positions with an approximate savings of $1,000,000 in salary and benefits.
• Implement the Early Retirement Program to eliminate a minimum of 10 positions providing an additional savings of $700,000.
• Retool our health insurance programs to offer more voluntary options for our employees.
• Eliminate under-utilized office equipment; we have even eliminated water coolers! cost savings: $13,000.
• Implement aggressive tax collection methods to clear up any aging receivables.
• Continue to monitor and regulate overtime expenditures.
• Eliminate salary increases for our Department Heads as well as the Office of Mayor.
• Look to develop new ways to generate revenue.

I have also taken several steps to help us as we develop our 2009/2010 budget.

We have renegotiated and locked in our Heating Oil price at $2.18 per gallon and our Gasoline price at $1.74 per gallon. This will save the City of Danbury hundreds of thousands of dollars in energy costs.

For managers hired after January 1st 2009, I have eliminated free “retiree” medical insurance, and require a contribution to our pension plan.

In addition, new managers hired after January 1st 2009, will have a lower cost medical plan as opposed to the costlier health care plan that is currently offered.

All of these decisions represent a sweeping change in our employee benefits for our senior staff.

While these strategies will be effective, we must continue to reduce spending at every opportunity, while we weather the economic storm around us.

That is why the 2009-2010 budget is a “zero growth budget”.

Our general government operations budget is approximately 1 million dollars below last year’s general government budget.

In the 2009-2010 budget I am also proposing that we borrow no money to fund our Capital Improvement Program, all capital improvements will rely on previously authorized funding or on the federal economic stimulus program.

For the third straight year, I am proposing no increases for sewer and water rates.

Education:

For the Education Budget I have proposed a “zero growth” budget of $112,000,000. I know that this will be a difficult challenge for the Board of Education to meet, but we must ask them to continue to refine their numbers in this unsettled economic time. I have no doubt that the Common Council will work with the Board Education to ensure that we are providing services that meet the needs of our children as well as reflect the taxpayer’s ability to pay.

Finally, I want to commend the Dr. Pascarella, Chairwoman Podhajski, and the members of the Board of Education for the steps that they have already taken at containing cost.

Public Safety:

Most important to our mission statement and to quality of life in the City of Danbury is the delivery of public safety services. While most of our budget is designed to reduce spending and eliminate staffing, there is one area that I am recommending an increase of staffing.

On April 21st we will dedicate our new Police Station. As a way to deploy more police officers to patrol, I have included three civilian employees as well as three part-time civilian employees that will form the core of our civilian work force at the Police Station.

We are also applying for federal stimulus funding to provide for civilian dispatching at the new Police Station. The centralizing and civilianizing of dispatch, will allow us to put more officers on the street, and more firefighters in the field, helping us to utilize our staff more effectively and ensuring that we remain the safest city in Connecticut.

Tonight, you will also see a grant application on our agenda for the funding of twelve new police officers under the C.O.P.S. program. These positions are fully funded by the federal government for the next three years.

The new officers will enhance the bike patrol as well as expand the traffic enforcement division of the Danbury Police Department. The expanded traffic enforcement division will include a new motorcycle patrol with motorcycles purchased through the asset forfeiture fund.

Ladies and gentleman this spending plan represents a maintainenance approach to our government while we wait for the economic climate to improve. As such, there are no other major initiatives.

Grant Agencies:

Earlier this year the Common Council, with my support, opted to change the way we fund grant agencies and work towards developing real metrics and measurable outcomes for our taxpayers.

I have identified several agencies that are performing services for the City of Danbury that we will fund so that we do not have to hire staff to perform the services that they are doing.

I have included funding for three key categories:

Women:

The Women’s Center- To provide critical intervention, support, and counseling for those who are victims of family violence.

Children:

Danbury Youth Services- To provide critical counseling for challenged youth.

Community:

Connecticut Institute for Communities-To provide assistance and capacity building for our non-profits.
The Boughton Street YMCA- Transition dollars to continue offering recreational opportunities for our residents.
The War Memorial- To provide services for our emergency management system, veteran’s activities as well as recreational opportunities for our youth.
The Danbury Council of Veterans-To provide graveside services as well as the Memorial Day Parade.
The Volunteer Center (S.A.V.E.)- Manage our SAVE program
D.A.W.S.- To help manage our animal shelter on the weekends.

One organization, the Danbury VNA, provides critical nursing services for our residents. I am proposing that we enter into a MOU with the V.N.A. which will allow us to pay them for their services that they provide to our residents on a case by case basis.

Approximately $500,000 will be distributed through the grant process established by the Common Council earlier in the year. The task force will distribute money in three key areas:

Economics: This category is designed to promote financial stability and self-sufficiency in the economic crisis. Programs and initiatives that will be funded in this category will be homelessness, housing, financial literacy, job training, and basic needs that are a direct result of the economic crisis.

Education: This category is designed towards helping children, youth, and their families achieve their potential. Programs and initiatives that will be funded include afterschool care and parent education programs. A well educated workforce attracts world class jobs.

Health: Promoting health and wellness in the community, Programs and initiatives include those to promote a healthy lifestyle, counseling services and home health care.

I also am proposing tonight that we rally the residents of the City of Danbury to support these causes as well.

The initiative is called “Danbury cares about Danbury”, will ask our residents to support our investment strategy in Danbury’s non-profits and to support their fellow citizens who are experiencing difficult economic times with an additional voluntary donation.

To do so, I have asked our Tax Collector, Scott Ferguson, to design and include a new form in the tax bills to solicit a voluntary donation from our residents. If each taxable property donated just $20.00, we could raise an additional $500,000 for these organizations that would be used to aid our residents in a time of need.

The impact of our spending plan to our residents is critical as we seek to balance our budget, protect our quality of life, and reduce costs.

After careful analysis and much discussion with our Director of Finance, I am recommending that we “freeze” the phase- in of our state mandated revaluation.

This means that with exceptions of new construction and adjustments, the assessments of all property in the City of Danbury will be frozen at their current level. By suspending the phase-in, we can ensure that the taxpayers of Danbury will not be saddled with an assessment that may not be reflective of current market conditions.

The suspension of the phase-in will also allow our residents to have breathing room in an unsettled economic time.

A suspension of the revaluation will also reduce the impact of our budget for our residents.

In order to implement a suspension of the phase-in, the State Legislature must adopt a bill that is pending before it which has passed out of the Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee with strong bi-partisan support. It is my understanding that this bill has a strong chance of becoming law.

In addition to the suspension of a phase-in, I have also asked the Legislature to consider the possibility of allowing cities and towns to discard their most recent revaluation and give the authority conduct a new revaluation before the next scheduled revaluation date.

Assuming a “freeze” of the phase-in of the revaluation, the impact of the proposed budget to our taxpayers includes a mill rate increase of .31 or little over 1%

A typical home that is assessed at $239,900 currently pays $5121.86 in property taxes. Under the proposed 2009-2010 budget, that same home would pay $5196.23 a difference of $74.36 for the year or approximately $6.00 per month.

Should the Legislature decide not to allow for a suspension of the phase- in of the revaluation, we will adopt a mill rate that will reflect our spending plan and implement the next phase of the revaluation according to law.

I am also assuming that state aid will remain relatively flat for the coming fiscal year. Both Governor Rell’s budget, and the legislative Democrats budget that was released on Friday indicates that Danbury will be receiving approximately the same amount of state aid that it received last year.

The 2009-2010 budget does not assume any savings from the proposed early retirement program.

I have also reduced revenue projections to reflect our current economic environment.

In the long term, our corner of Western Connecticut will overcome the economic crisis. However, the economic forecast for the short term shows little in the way of a potential rebound and improvement.

In this economic crisis, with the national unemployment at 8.5%, and possibly reaching 10%, we have choices to make. Those choices are the same choices being made around every kitchen table in our community. What steps can we take to save money? What steps can we take to ensure that we live within our means?

Some of our residents have lost their jobs, still others have tragically lost their homes, and all of us have seen our most important asset, our home, significantly devalued.

In tough times, we have to make tough decisions.

This spending plan makes the tough decisions.

In essence, the proposed budget reflects the budget that we can afford, not necessarily the one that we would create in good economic times.

During these difficult economic times, people of our community need their local government to be responsive, to be agile and to be compassionate.

It is our duty to let residents know that we are for them and that we care about them.

It is also our duty to provide the services that are necessary to maintain the quality of life that we all enjoy, and at the same time, strive to live within our means.

Tonight, we have been summoned to a higher challenge. A challenge that is bigger than Republican or Democrat, a challenge that is about our community.

This is not the time for partisan politics. It is the time for us to roll up our sleeves and get to work on behalf of all of our residents.

This evening, I ask for the Common Council’s support as we work together in a bipartisan fashion to develop our spending plan.

I welcome the Common Council’s input on improving our bottom line. I thank the members of this elective body for their care and concern for our city.

The 2009-2010 proposed budget puts our priorities in order. It reduces spending in general government operations by almost a million dollars, and it balances significant budget cuts with a small contribution from our taxpayers to maintain our quality of life.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I believe in the strength of this community. Our city will see its way through this difficult time.

It is a time that was not created by us, but must be managed by us.

Danbury is blessed with a diverse and strong economic base and a resilient people.

There will be more tough decisions to make in the future. But we will make them together as one community, united in purpose, dedicated to supporting and caring for each other as we face the difficult road that lies ahead.

With these thoughts in mind I respectfully submit to you this budget for our City’s 2009/2010 fiscal year. Thank you, God Bless America and God Bless our Great City….