Thomas Buzi — Looking for a reasonable budget

As Thomas Buzi prepares for Nov. 3, he is taking a good look at his administration’s accomplishments over the past two years, and what lies ahead after the election.

His priorities, should he win, will lie with the upcoming budget cycle.

“We’re going to be taking a look at how we’re going to develop a reasonable budget, and how we’re going to market it and sell it to voters,” he said. “This is going to be an extremely challenging time.”

The nearly 7% increase on the education side that School Supt. Dr. Colleen Palmer is anticipating, Buzi said, may not “make the cut.”

“I’ve got to work with the board of education, I’ve got to find some expense savings on the town side, and work to try to develop a budget that is reasonable to voters,” he said.

Buzi said he will spend time looking at capital spending and bonding. He says the Town Council is looking to spend $2 million per year on roads, the Town Hall needs a new roof, and the police station needs renovations.

“A capital budget with what the town can manage is also going to be an important thing to look at,” he said.

He will continue to look at health care, a major cost driver on both the town and education side.

As the town heads into the 2010-11 budget cycle, Buzi said he will work on finding a balance between the town’s need for growth with how the difficult economy is affecting residents.

“It’s one of the things that keeps me up at night,” he said. “But I think what I’ve proved over last two years is I’ve kept the level of tax increase between 19% to 45% below any other two years in the past 10 years. We’ve slowed the rate of spending.”

Buzi said the goal is affordability.

“If you go out there with an outrageous budget you lose credibility and confidence with the voters,” he said. “I think you want to start the process off with a reasonable budget.”

Green movement

Taking a look at how the town sets a “green” example for the businesses and homeowners of Monroe, Buzi said there is much that could still be done.

The town has a tax abatement program for businesses who make green improvements. Really Good Stuff on Pepper Street has been leading that movement.

Still, he said, more can be done on the residential level. Currently, the federal government issues green incentives, he said, but the town does not.

Buzi, who just recently put an energy efficient furnace in his own home, said, “We don’t do enough relative to green on a residential basis. We have to take a look and see if the Town Council wanted to pass an ordinance that would promote green projects and activities by homeowners.”

On a public level, he said the town could look at measures like installing solar panels on Masuk High School’s roof.

“I think anything we do with our buildings we have to look at green or sustainable energy alternatives,” he said.

Business

As businesses close all over the state, and even more continue to struggle, Buzi said he sees Monroe as a desirable place.

The key, he said, is continued support and offering help where he can.

“We have had people come in here and work out payment plans with the tax collector to help get their taxes paid,” he said. “Anytime the Chamber of Commerce has asked me to support business I’ve been there. We just had the Monroe Means Business event where we had a good crowd, given the fact that we’re one year into the recession. And I think we’re getting out of the recession.”

Another thing his administration has done for business, he said, was keep the taxes low.

“I try to help keep taxes as low as possible,” Buzi said. “I think that’s what I can do best for them.”

Buzi said just last week he met with a developer looking to purchase the Stevenson Lumber property.

“This could be a shot in the arm for the Stevenson area and Monroe in general,” he said. “We’re pushing everyday, boosting the town where we can.”

State delegation

While he’s been in office, Buzi said he has been working on building his relationships with Monroe’s delegations in Hartford and in Washington.

He has built ties with U.S. Rep. Jim Himes and state Senators Dan Debicella and Anthony Musto. While his relationship with state Rep. DebraLee Hovey has sometimes been strained, he said they are working toward the same goal.

“For some reason, Ms. Hovey and I don’t see eye to eye on some things,” he said. “But when it comes to Monroe, we look past that and move toward doing the right thing for the town.”

Still, Buzi said, in terms of getting funding from the state, Monroe is not at the top of the list.

“Monroe is not a target location for federal stimulus funds,” he said. “We’re the 40th richest community in the state. We’re in the top 25%.”

However, the town was able to secure $1 million from the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

While the state struggles with its own budget, Buzi said towns are concerned about how they will be supported in years to come.

“The state has to fundamentally change the way in which they look at local services,” he said. “You see what we’ve been through with the economy, and you cry out for ‘where’s a leader?’

“This is a bipartisan shot. I don’t think the Democratic-controlled House and Senate nor the Republican-controlled executive office have shone brightly the last two years. There needs to be much more leadership and a much tougher way of dealing with issues,” he said.

Buzi said he’d continue to work with other elected officials and the state representatives and senators.

“If we all work together and say, ‘this is what we need from you guys,’ we have a better chance of getting things done,” he said.

Rising above

As the economy continues to weigh down on the town, Buzi said he has used his experienced leadership to help guide him and the voters through the difficult times.

“I think the positive nature I bring to everything I do separates me from others,” he said. “I’ve shown proven, experienced leadership will get things done. In my first year we got the single largest public safety initiative in this town. We put out the facts and were transparent and open about the problems we’d have if we didn’t do this relative to public safety. And the voters responded.”

During budget time, Buzi said he worked with the various groups in town and department heads to get the budget passed.

“You have to build the kind of coalitions you need to put together a fair budget,” he said. “You see an increase in the voters with each referendum, and that says something. The challenge was to keep the coalitions together and give them faith that we’d hit the right number.”

Addressing the negativity that often comes with the budget, Buzi said he understands the voters’ frustrations.

“This is not a good time,” he said. “I understand their frustrations, and I have tried to address them.”

Buzi said he would like to see the two parties in town work together as well.

“They both should work with the parent groups to look past the negativity,” he said. “They need to step up and be leaders.”

When it comes to hearing the concerns of voters, Buzi said he’s been open.

“I understand that you have to listen to voters,” he said. “I think I’ve shown great humility.”