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To the Editor:
I will try to keep this brief. As a 25 year resident of Cheshire, I AND many life long residents of the town are appalled at a sudden turn from fiscal responsibility in the maintenance of our public buildings, to an all out loss of sensibility and total group think and cut off of a rational discussion about tearing down 2 schools to begin with and after 4 years the remainder of all the others.
It will be on the ballot Nov. 8th. And it will ask the voters to add $166 million dollars to the town’s total cumulative indebtedness of $93 million. Our sterling bond rating does not seem to matter to the newer coalition of town COUNCIL FOLKS; This time around they have some fairly slick political action committees to back up a truck load of propaganda, falsehoods and total misrepresentations concerning everything from the amount of aid they think they will get from the state for this undertaking to school age population projections which are questionable at best.
They are making claims that a resident’s tax will only go up “$38 PER month” when in fact the town has only recently begun the 10 year comprehensive revaluation process which won’t be completed until next summer long after the referendum vote. Those gullible enough to believe the new developer line…many new move ins from elsewhere…will be shocked to see that Cheshire will have a 30-45% assessment increase and a possible $ 250 per month tax increase to begin with.
Cheshire has not had a good record of lowering the mil rate commensurately to keep taxes at about $100-$200 year upward. At a 33% assessment increase likely to occur the town council would have to reduce the town mill rate from it’s current 34.25 mils. to 26.25. Likelihood of this happening? 3 guesses and the first 2 don’t count!
We have a totally out of control mind set in our council.. .pretensions and delusions of our town being a Darien or something of the sort are just just that. The destruction of a charming slow growing suburban, once a farm community in the name of unaffordable construction. By the time the first shovel hits the ground inflation Will jack up the price tag; if that doesn’t do it the federal Reserve’s interest rate hikes will destroy the town’s previously very low bond rates, due in part to stellar fiscal restraint. I am afraid Cheshire will no longer be “stellar”
Steve Levitt
Cheshire, CT.