A TOWN WITHOUT A PLAN

How Do You Run A Town Without A Comprehensive, Capital Improvement Plan?

A CIP, Capital Improvement Plan, is a tool for the effective and efficient use of services and facilities.  It is a critical component for long-range development of a town and serves as a schedule for public improvements.  Towns need CIP's to stay on task and on budget.  Necessarily, a CIP incorporates all town, school district, parks and rec, and other local government entities providing for a systemic evaluation of all potential projects at the same time.  This provides an opportunity to foster cooperation among departments and to encompass both present and future needs.  Developing a CIP is a requisite step to ensure that policy makers are responsible to residents and businesses when it comes to spending tax dollars. Proactive towns typically set up a plan that includes:

• A list of capital improvements (projects or major equipment) to be made
• The items ranked in order of priority (urgent, necessary, desired...)
• A plan for financing the items - can we afford it?
• A timetable for the construction & completion of the projects
• Justification for the projects, and
• An explanation of expenses for the projects

So, how do you run a town without a comprehensive, written CIP?  You don't.  But why are we?

Rocky Hill has a "Capital Improvement Program."  You will find this in the back of the 2013-2014 Budget.  It's about a paragraph long.  After that you'll find a list, slightly over five pages, identifying items that will be funded this fiscal year with their respective costs, and items that may be funded from now to 2018.  These pages lack explanation as to priority, timeline, justification and rationale.  Incidentally, most items slated post 2013-2014 are labeled "unfunded."  In fact, some items in the 2013-2014 section aren't funded either.  For all intents and purposes, the Program represents a list of departmental suggestions.  While this may be the proper staring point, it's just the beginning of an effective planning tool.  This lack of forecasting ability screams to the need for change.  Buildings, infrastructure, technology, and major equipment form the physical foundation for providing services in town.  Therefore, prudent management would dictate the need to reduce such plans to writing.  To do so provides transparency for taxpayers and clarity for town officials.

It comes as no surprise then that our town suffers from, among other things, decayed building, broken roads, inadequate facilities, issues accommodating seniors, school capacity issues, fire code violations, an inability to attract new businesses, and overspending syndrome.  Presently, the Town Council is asking us to consider borrowing $10 million for Phase I of a roadway improvement project.  There's no doubt our roads need repair.  The issue is how we fund it.  If the referendum passes, this will make the third time we will have gone out to bond in under a two year period.  This is not strategic planning.  This is allowing a predictable situation to negatively affect the pockets of taxpayers.  Funny how majority party candidates are advocating long-range planning this election season.  Indeed this is the result of years of deferrals presumably favored due to the inability to properly forecast.  FYI:  the 2015-2016 projections show a major bridge repair of $1.5 million - "unfunded - possibly referendum."  Isn't it time to start planning?

The important thing now is to move forward with a new perspective and proactive approach.  I am running for Town Council because I want to be part of the solution.  I'm running as an Independent because I feel strongly in maintaining the integrity of my views and wish to remain  free to express my opinions.  I've been told it's not easy, not easy at all, to be an Independent in town government - that doesn't bother me.  It would bother me to sit back and do nothing.  It's Time for Change Rocky Hill.  Change Starts Here.