The Berlin
Cit itiz ize en
Volume 15, Number 19
Mill rate increases: What does that mean?
Berlin’s Only Hometown Newspaper
Thursday, May 12, 2011
A time for reflection
By Hannah Jackson Special to The Citizen
On May 3 the Town Council approved the mill rate increase of .85 for the 2011-2012 fiscal year. The taxpayers of Berlin voted for a .97 increase during the April 26 budget referendum. Why the difference? What does this mean for you? What is the mill rate, anyway? The mill rate is a property tax cal-
Citizen photos by Nick Carroll
The killing of terrorist leader Osama Bin Laden has many recalling the events of 9/11 and pondering the lives lost in the nearly decade long War on Terror. Right: This photo was taken last week at the FDNY Memorial Wall, located at FDNY Ladder Company 10, just feet from where the Twin Towers stood. Left: Work continues on the 1 World Trade Center building and the 9/11 Memorial.
See Council, page 6
Police 101
Ride-along: On patrol with the Berlin police By Daniel Jackson Special to The Citizen (The Berlin Police Department is currently running a Citizens Police Academy, a program to give residents insight into police operations. The department has run these several times and the current class is full. This second installment of The Citizen’s ride-along stories, as well as the citizens’ police academy, are part of police efforts to enhance communication with the community.) At 2:45 p.m. Patrol Supervisor Mark Soneson takes a red plastic hand basket marked “Roger’s Marketplace” and fills it with the shift folder, a handful of
Photo by Daniel Jackson
Watching Officer Shawn Solek through the patrol car windshield during a ride-along. Tasers and radios, and walks down the hall to the briefing room. Usually, he briefs the officers on things to watch
for on patrol. But today, there’s nothing new. Although the day starts slowSee Police, page 4
BHS principal moving on after one ‘eventful year’ By Nick Carroll The Berlin Citizen After just one academic year on the job, Berlin High School Principal Matthew Harnett is moving on. Harnnett informed BHS students May 3 of his decision. In a message posted on the high school website, Harnett wrote: “Thank you to all of you for your support and time in helping me at the high school. I have enjoyed my time here in Berlin immensely and am very grateful that I was given this opportunity to work with this community. I wish you all good luck in the coming school year.” Harnett’s next job will be as principal of Housatonic Valley Regional High School in Falls Village, which is much closer to his home in Torrington than is Berlin.
Berlin’s Superintendent of School’s David Erwin and Board of Education President Gary Brochu were aware that Harnett had interviewed for the Valley Regional job. “We cerHarnett tainly wish Matt well. We are grateful to his commitment to the high school while he was here,” said Brochu, speaking on behalf of the board. Brochu believes Harnett’s tenure at BHS was a successful one. “This was a very eventful year for the high school,” the Board of Education president said, pointing out the school building project which passed in a refer-
See Principal, page 9