July 5, 2012
Budget Passage
I’m happy to finally report that we have passed both the town and school budgets. I want to thank everyone who was involved in the process of drafting, reviewing, and passing these budgets.
A lot of work goes into the town budget. Department heads submit their requests to me and I submit my proposed budget to the Board of Finance. From there, the Board of Finance has the difficult task of making final decisions on what is included or excluded from the budget. They have to walk a fine line between providing services and keeping spending in line with community expectations. I believe the budget passed strikes the balance that was needed for these times.
I want to thank everyone who helped pass a budget the community accepted. There were a number of people and groups that took the time to ensure people received information on the budget along with reminding them to vote. We’re very fortunate to have people who sacrifice their time to make sure we have a budget that preserves our community and helps move us forward.
Budgets are a series of tough decisions and I want to thank those that participated in an honest debate of the issues. No matter what your position is or what you believe, we need more people to come out and discuss these important decisions. My only hope is that we do so with the correct facts and data. Debate in the absence of truth will always devolve into an unhealthy dialogue.
Moving Forward
The passage of the budget allows us to move forward as a town and focus on the many upcoming items we have to look forward to. We will soon see construction begin on the sewer and water expansion on the south end of town along with Tractor Supply. The Lebanon Avenue and Merchant’s Row streetscape project is nearing completion. We will soon be making decisions on a large energy and cost savings project for town and school facilities.
I’m looking forward to all of these items and many other initiatives we have in our plans. In the meantime, I hope you’ll enjoy all of the activities the town has to offer this summer. There are plenty of activities for kids, concerts on the town green, and other events scheduled in the center of town. This is all in addition to our wonderful parks, trails, and recreation facilities.
I hope everyone enjoys the summer and all that Colchester has to offer!
- Gregg Schuster
First Selectman
Previous Selectman Notes can be viewed at
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