Groton Residents Speak Out At Budget Public Hearing

Several residents told a public hearing on the budget Thursday that people cannot afford another tax increase in Groton, while two others urged the Town Council to support continued funding for Mystic & Noank Library.

Two other speakers spoke against including $15 million in the town’s capital improvement plan to extend utilities up Flanders Road. The project, which was listed for informational purposes, would likely require a bond referendum.

The proposed $122.6 million budget for the coming fiscal year represents an increase of $4.1 million, or 3.5 percent over the current year. If adopted as proposed, the budget would result in a tax rate increase of 8.6 percent, from 18.89 to 20.51 mills.

Jack Sebastian said Groton must cut property taxes, not let them rise.

 “I definitely feel that the majority of people that are elected officials in the town have a birth defect,” he said. “They don’t know how to say ‘no’.”

Edward Ettinger urged the Town Council and Representative Town Meeting to reject the budget proposal as presented.

He said nearby Stonington’s mill rate is lower despite the community having a smaller commercial tax base. He said this is because residents approve the budget rather than governmental bodies.

“What we have is a group of alligators and sharks feeding on taxpayers’ money,” he said.

Neal Gardner said the town must cut costs; if it’s not a program the majority of people use, it should go.

“Do not expect your neighbor to pay for what you want,” he said. “We hear about greed a lot. But no one is greedier than government.”

John Casey, a member of the board of Mystic & Noank Library, urged the council to support spending on the schools and a $188,000 request for Mystic & Noank Library. He noted that the Stonington Board of Finance recently voted to cut proposed funding for the library.

“We would ask Groton not to punish us for Stonington’s financial decisions,” Casey said.

Sidney and Clairborne Van Zandt, meanwhile, took issue with the Capital Improvement Plan. They said the town should not invest $15 million to extend utilities up Flanders Road.

“We should look at what kind of businesses can we attract,” Clairborne Van Zandt said, adding that Groton is kidding itself if it believes spending millions on sewers will solve problems. “I doubt that the return is going to be anything even approaching that in the way of tax revenue,” he said.