Fuel Bank Donations Appreciated
It still amazes me to see how generous the citizens of Colchester can be. Two weeks ago, Fred Brown, Jack Faski, and myself camped out on the green to raise money for the Colchester fuel bank. The amount of support we received was unbelievable and something we should all be proud of as a town.
All told, you helped to raise over $7,500 for the Colchester fuel bank and donations are still continuing to come in. While the donations were impressive, the thing that sticks out in my mind is the attitude and spirit of those who visited us. The girl scouts generously pledged some of the proceeds of their cookie sales and some residents continually delivered coffee and hot chocolate to keep us warm. We even had one person stop and give us coffee and donuts on Sunday morning. The fact that he delivered us breakfast isn’t what was special though. It’s the fact that he had been laid off from his job three months ago, but still wanted to help us out. We truly are a remarkable town.
I want to sincerely thank all who donated to the fuel bank through this event. Your donation will go a long way to ensure that none of Colchester’s residents will be cold this winter. I also want to thank Subway, Illiano’s, Family Pizza, Hung Won, and everyone else who kept us well fed through the weekend.
Finally, a big thank you to my tent mates, Jack and Fred. I still think this was a crazy idea that Fred had, but I’m glad he asked me to be a part of it.
Town Budget Forthcoming
The first week of March, I will present my recommended town budget to the Board of Selectmen and the Board of Finance. Unfortunately, we are in one of the worst situations we could possibly be in as a town. Most years, we see an increase in revenues from a growing grand list and rising aid from the state. This year, our grand list had essentially no growth and aid from the state will likely be decreased. Our stagnate revenue coupled with increased costs puts us in a situation where any budget increase must be absorbed through higher taxes.
There will be no easy choices this budget year. I fully recognize that we have high unemployment and a bad economy so tax increases are the last thing anyone wants to hear. On the other hand, the impact to both the town and the school system would be severe if we were to implement cuts to keep taxes at their current level.
After I release my recommended budget in March, we will be holding another budget forum focused on town services. The Board of Selectmen wants to hear your feedback on the proposal as we go through the process of reviewing the budget. As I said, there will be no easy choices this year. However, it’s important that you make your feelings known to the board so we can craft a budget that is what the town wants.
- Gregg Schuster
First Selectman
Previous Selectman Notes can be viewed at
| 