Welcome to budget season. The Board of Education’s adoption of a trimmed version of Superintendent Dr. David Title’s 2013-2014 budget was just the beginning.
Tonight, First Selectman Michael Tetreau will unveil his proposed Fiscal Year 2014 operating budget for the town before a joint meeting of the Board of Finance and Board of Selectmen.
This meeting -- 7 p.m. at the Board of Education Conference Room (501 Kings Highway East, second floor) will kick off the marathon of upcoming budget sessions and, in early May, the final RTM vote.
Patch is here to try to make the next few months a little easier on you. You can refer to our “Budget 2013 Topics Page,” where you'll find -- all in one place -- any and all articles, announcements, meetings, and events as they’re published on Fairfield Patch.
Once the documents become available, the 2012 town-side budget and capital projects PDFs will be added to this article’s photo gallery for your convenience.
Below is the current schedule of public budget hearing. Check back regularly for any updates and additions to the schedule.
Date Time Meeting Location Tuesday, Feb. 19 7 pm Budget Presentation by First Selectman Michael Tetreau Board of Education Conference Room (501 Kings Highway East, second floor) Wednesday, Feb. 27 7 pm Contingency/Pension Hearing BOE Conference Room Tuesday, March 5 7 pmBoard of Education Budget Hearing BOE Conference Room Thursday, March 7 7 pm Public Safety, Health and Welfare Budget Hearings BOE Conference Room Monday, March 11 7 pm Public Works Budget Hearing BOE Conference Room Wednesday, March 13 7 pm Finance Budget Hearing (Q&A Format) BOE Conference Room Tuesday, March 19 7 pm Administrative Budget Hearing (Q&A Format) BOE Conference Room Thursday, March 21 7 pm Culture and Recreation Budget Hearing (Q&A Format) BOE Conference Room Saturday, March 23 9:30 am
Public Budget Comment Session Senior Center
Thursday, March 28 7 pm Public Budget Executive Session - Final Deliberations (No Public Comment) BOE Conference Room Tuesday, April 2 7 pm Public Budget Executive Session - Board of Finance Vote (No Public Comment) BOE Conference Room
I really don't care to argue about the budget details for two reasons - first we'll never win a argument like that where the town officials can and will talk about specific plans/programs/costs that everyone would hate to see go (we've seen this tactical argument win for years); Second, doing so removes focus from the main point - spending must fundamentally change in order to keep our town affordable.
I am hopeful that this is the year our govt wakes up. I see the very active FGG organization, FAIRPlan and Fairfield Taxpayer all gathering steam and membership. Each operating differently, but all exerting pressure for a more accountable, efficient and affordable government. Fairfield Taxpayer has about 300 Likes on their 3 week old Facebook site, for example. I just joined. Perhaps this year will indeed be different.