To Mayor Flax and Groton Town Council, et al as before… 1/11/16 Mon 11:30 AM EST

1) I have read the minutes of the Special TOG Council COW meeting of January 5, 2015 and most specifically the section concerning the Establishment of a Charter Revision Committee.

2) I note especially that there can be some agenda items which can delay any immediate attention to this subject, including the Town Budget. My concern is that the Charter subject not end up on the “back burner” of priorities.

3) I therefore strongly encourage the Council to address some concerns and try to come to some mutual agreement on those concerns as soon as possible. In that regard, for the upcoming special meeting on January 14th, I note the Mayor’s recommendation that Councilors “review the current charter and come up with initial comments and concerns.”

4) To assist and encourage the Council, I once again submit my previous comments and concerns below, which do include opinions from other Groton Taxpayers, dated 12/02/15, as priorities to consider.

Thank you, as always, for the time you spend serving the Groton Community.

Ed Johnson (address/contact info below)

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From: ERJRice@aol.com
To: ed_johnson@tvcconnect.net
Sent: 12/02/2015 7:24:45 P.M. Eastern Standard Time
Subj: Charter Revision Committee

To the Honorable Mayor Flax, Members of the Groton CT Town Council, Town Clerk and Town Manager, with copies to concerned citizens…

From: Ed Johnson, Noank Tuesday, December 2, 2015 at 6:50 PM EST

Subject: A request for the establishment (or re-establishment) of a Town Charter Revision Committee

1) This is not a new subject for many of you, including the newer members of the Council. I won’t go into long detail, but at this point will give you a brief summary of my own concerns and what I have also heard from other Groton citizens.

2) There are opinions that the existing RTM structure, although well-intentioned, does not necessarily represent the feelings and desires of many citizens. In addition, the present system of having the Town Manager and BOE Superintendent make separate presentations on budgets, etc. to the RTM and the Council appears somewhat repetitive and time consuming. Some folks have also mentioned that reducing the size of the RTM might improve efficiency.

3) With the gradual reduction of Groton businesses (which we all hope will change) and similar reduction in residential population (as evidenced by local school enrollment), there is more tax pressure on Groton citizens. There is a growing feeling among some of us that, as taxpayers, we will be trapped by rising costs and excessive taxes over which we have no direct control. Costs keep going up to maintain a governmental system which both the Council and RTM cannot seem to contain.

4) Coupled with # 3 above, we are also trapped by a state finance system that only allows a school budget to stay level or go up…..never down. Meanwhile, ironically, as taxpayers we are allowed to participate in a referendum process involving major school and town construction projects, but not the annual Town Budget. And when the concept of setting a tax increase limit that relates to the CPI is mentioned, we are told that such a relationship is not relevant, because, for example, “the CPI is a measure of a market price of consumer goods and services….and does not accurately reflect municipal acquisitions.”

5) Addressing # 4 above, I am a 75 year old senior citizen who receives Social Security. My SS income is tied to the CPI which this year will remain level and I will receive no increase whatsoever. Yet it is very likely that my property taxes will go up again this year because the Town operates with a different economic criteria not related to the CPI….in other words….by a different set of rules. What’s wrong with this picture? So, before my wife and I decide to leave Groton and move to Vermont or another state, as many people seem to now be doing, this entire situation needs review and reasonable tax increase limits need to be set (note that the “Levy” system does not really seem to address this).

6) “Taxation without Representation” is another Charter item that needs to be addressed. Again, this is not a new topic. There are a substantial number of Groton taxpayers who reside out of state who used to be able to participate by absentee ballot in local (not national) Groton elections and referendums. This legal right was taken away from them as a result of a previous charter “manipulation” during a revision process, and needs to be re-instated.

I’ll stop here.

Please re-establish a Charter Revision Committee.

Thank you for your time.

Edward R. Johnson, 87 Main Street, Groton, CT 06340 phone/fax 860 536 1589