One Town, Three Public Works Departments To Pay For

Groton City Mayor Marian Galbraith faced some pointed questions from the town council this week about the budget, and the prospect of combining town and city departments to save money.

The City of Groton will be asking the town for $2.16 million for highways this year, 6.4 percent less than the previous year, but will ask for more money for police, even though that budget as a whole is down 1 percent.

Galbraith said the city will ask for $2.3 million, or a 2.1 percent increase, because it wants the town to cover half of its police budget.

Last year, the town funded the city police budget at less than half.

Town Councilor Bruce Flax said he is frustrated that the town has three public works departments: one for the town, one for the city and one for Groton Long Point.

The town also has three police departments, one for the town and one for each of the subdivisions.

“Certainly running three of the same departments in our town is not the best way to go. I don’t think anybody would argue that,” Flax said.

He said perhaps the city and town public works departments could get together and determine whether there is savings to be had by combining those services. He said there seems to be an unwillingness by the city to discuss this, and perhaps it is a lack of trust because the town doesn’t have enough information.

“I think that I have bent over backwards to answer every question that’s been asked of me, by you or by (Town Manager Mark Oefinger),” Galbraith said, adding, “So I take a little exception that the implication that we’re not trying to give you information…"

“We pay taxes too. We are not asking for me than we pay into taxes. It is true that we do have a city and it is true that it does reside within the town.”

One issue is what the town and city charters actually mean by the town must provide “road maintenance” in the city.

Town Mayor Heather Bond Somers said the town, the city and each of the departments of public works should get together and define what this phrase means in a practical sense, so that the town understands what is responsible for and what it is willing to pay.

Councilor Dean Antipas told Galbraith the question comes up often: “What would be cheaper for the town? To do everything itself, or for us to have the current setup where you have your own department and we write you a check?”

Galbraith said in some respects, that is a moot point because the city's charter allows it to run its own department.

Antipas said he knows, but the question comes up anyway.