Granby Drummer | October 2019

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Published by Citizens for a Better Granby a non-profit 501(c)3 organization

Volume L, No. 2 • October 2019

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Competitive election for Granby

Eleven different races will be decided by the Nov. 5 municipal election including First Selectman, Board of Selectmen, Board of Finance, Board of Education, Board of Assessment Appeals, Planning and Zoning, Zoning Board of Appeals and Town Moderator. Voters will have the opportunity to vote for 24 open seats using a two-sided ballot that will include all of these offices. In the past, the Board of Selectmen race has caused some confusion. All five seats are open every two years. Voters can choose only one candidate for First Selectman and two candidates from those running for the board.

Candidates on the Nov. 5 municipal ballot FIRST SELECTMAN – 1 opening, 2-yr. term (vote for 1) B. Scott Kuhnly – Republican Glenn G. Ballard – Petitioning Candidate BOARD OF SELECTMEN – 4 openings, 2-yr. term (vote for any 2) Sally S. King, James C. Lofink – Democrat Edward E. Ohannessian, Mark Neumann – Republican John Alexander Bazyk – Petitioning Candidate BOARD OF EDUCATION – 4 openings, 4-yr. term (vote for any 4) Lynn Guelzow, Christine Peaslee, Monica Logan, Jenny Emery – Democrat Rosemarie Weber, David Peling, Mark Fiorentino – Republican BOARD OF FINANCE – 3 openings, 4-yr. term (vote for any 3) William Kennedy – Democrat Kelly O. Rome, Michael B. Guarco, Jr. – Republican BOARD OF FINANCE to Fill a Vacancy for 2 Yrs.– 1 opening (vote for 1) James Tsaptsinos - Republican

BOARD OF ASSESSMENT APPEALS – 1 opening, 4-yr. term (vote for 1) Lowell C. Johnson – Republican PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION – 4 openings, 4-yr. term (vote for any 4) Christine L. Chinni – Democrat Mark Lockwood, Brennan Sheahan, Jonathan Boardman – Republican PLANNING & ZONING COMMISSION ALTERNATE – 1 opening, 4-yr. term (vote for 1) Paula H. Johnson – Republican ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS – 3 openings, 4-yr. term (vote for any 3) Suzanne Yucha – Democrat Steve Muller, Ann Crimmins – Republican ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS ALTERNATES – 1 opening, 4-yr. term (vote for 1) David Hennessey – Democrat TOWN MODERATOR – 1 opening, 2-yr. term (vote for 1) John E. Adams – Republican

A look back: The Granby Drummer: 1970–2019 By Chris Levandowski In the late 1960s, CPPAC* didn’t exist; there was no financial model to predict and prepare for capital expenditures or taxes. Granby’s population was booming, and the schools weren’t keeping pace. Granby Memorial High School was overcrowded and on the brink of losing accreditation, mainly because of a lack of classrooms and support infrastructure. The Board of Education had a plan that included major additions and renovations to the existing two-building campus. The Board of Finance projected *Capital Projects Priorities Advisory Committee

the project’s cost after state reimbursement (sound familiar yet?) and took a bonding issue and a large tax increase to the taxpayers for approval. Almost a year and four budget referendums later, the proposal had not been approved. A group of concerned citizens formed an ad hoc action committee hoping to find a way to influence town opinion. The members of “The Loose Group” gathered in Bruce and Bobbie Sullivan’s living room to brainstorm a course of action. Their kids’ education was on

Drummer at 50 cont’d. on p. 10

Inside GMHS Homecoming ............ 8

Invasive plants................. 22

Hawk watch..................... 17

Open Farm Day photos....... 29

Playing in the orchard

Alessandra Vitelli, age 4, enjoyed playing among the apple trees at Lost Acres Orchard on Open Farm Day. Photo by Lisa Vitelli

Mill rates and such – How do we stand? By Michael B. Guarco, Jr. Chair, Board of Finance Occasionally the question arises on how Granby compares to other towns in Connecticut and what factors affect the mill rate. This is the rate per thousand dollars of assessed value in real estate, motor vehicles, and business personal property. In a nutshell, while Granby is a financially strong town owing to its twin pillars of fiscal discipline and long-range capital planning, it also has to contend with a modest non-residential, commercial/industrial/public utility component of its grand list, and the resultant negative impact on intergovernmental revenues from the state. Granby has little in terms of state buildings within its borders and additionally, we are ranked by the state as a relatively wealthy town — 24th in terms of median household income at $111K, equaling 150 percent of the

state average. In comparable towns with the same spending per capita, these two factors alone would lead to a higher mill rate relative to the others. The mill rate set for the current year FY20 is 39.61 — 23rd statewide. The equalized mill rate, a slightly different calculation from the state, ranks us at 31st. Considering that we were ranked fourth in the mid-80s when I first joined the Board of Finance, we’ve made steady progress over time. As I’ve said previously, over the next decade or so we look to continue that slide down into the next quartile. Yet the fact remains that property taxes fund 83 percent of our budget, while many nearby towns are in the 70plus percent because their commercial grand list component is greater than ours. Since the 80s, the non-residential component of the grand list grew from 4 percent then to 8 percent now, but Avon, Canton and Simsbury have about 17 percent in

Mill rates cont’d. on p. 3

Photos by Peter Dinella


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