Thursday, July 16, 2009

75% of Hamden Democrats Endorse Scott Jackson for Mayor

Hamden Democratic Elected Officials Overwhelmingly Endorse Scott Jackson for Mayor

Hamden - In an overwhelming sign of support, the Jackson for Hamden campaign is very pleased to announce the endorsement and support of the following Hamden elected officials who are supporting Scott Jackson for Mayor. This list represents a clear majority of elected officials in Hamden.Announcing their support today are the following:

Council-At-Large

Council President Al Gorman
President Pro Tem Carol Noble
Jack Kennelly
Jim Pascarella

District Council Members

Majority Leader, Matt Fitch, 1st District
Ossie Brown, 3rd District
Gretchen Callahan, 4th District
Kathleen Schomaker, 5th District
Curt Balzano Leng, 6th District

Board of Education Members

Chairman, Michael D’Agostino
Secretary, John Keegan
Valarie Stone
Adam Sendroff
Myron Hul

These elected officials joined Mayor Craig Henrici who immediately endorsed Scott at his campaign announcement on May 14th.”I’m very thankful to have the trust and support of so many great public servants,” said Scott Jackson.

“Receiving the endorsement of these 15 elected Democratic leaders is an overwhelming sign of support from,” said Adam Sendroff, Campaign Manager. “It also shows our residents who their elected representatives have confidence in and feel they can best work with on the issues facing our Town.”

“These are challenging times for any municipality and we need a leader who has the experience to effectively and efficiently manage our Town ,” said Councilman Curt Balzano Leng, Finance Committee Chairman. “Without question, Scott Jackson is the most qualified candidate to manage our Town‘s finances in a responsible and fiscally conservative manner.”

For more information about Scott and the Jackson for Hamden campaign, please contact Scott directly at Scott@jacksonforhamden.com or visit www.jacksonforhamden.com or visit Supporters of Scott Jackson on Facebook.###

Friday, July 10, 2009

2008-2009 Budget Projected to Balance - Very Good News !

By Ann DeMatteo, Assistant Metro Editor

HAMDEN — Despite revenue shortages, town officials believe they will end fiscal 2008-09 in the black.

Acting Finance Director Jennifer Charneski told the Legislative Council Monday night that she was confident that with some transfers, the $174.17 million budget, which ended June 30, would be balanced.Charneski said she doesn’t have exact numbers for any shortfall because revenue is still coming in, and because it will take a few months to reconcile the budget.The town started the last fiscal year in the hole for about $250,000 because the state didn’t provide as much Payment in Lieu of Taxes for colleges and hospitals. But, several other grants brought in more, so the town was short only $181,000 in state grants.So far, the town has a $500,000 surplus on the expense side because of hiring and spending freezes.

But on the revenue side, the town didn’t take in $1.8 million in building permit revenue because of the delay of the Whitney Center expansion. And, building permit revenue from the Quinnipiac University expansion ended up being counted toward fiscal 2007-08.Also, $1 million in anticipated income didn’t come through because the sale of the former Hamden Middle School on Newhall Street didn’t materialize by June 30.And because of the economy, the town took in $550,000 less than planned in interest income.

“It was a difficult year across the board,” Charneski said in a report to the council. “We’re really hoping we break even.”Charneski hopes that shortfalls can be made up by transferring $500,000 to $750,000 from unexpended capital funds into the general fund.The town also will use some of the $6 million it recently received as a result of the transfer of the Wallingford trash-to-energy project from the Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority to Covanta Energy. Of the amount, $2.1 million was used as revenue in the current budget. Some of the remaining $3.9 million will help cover the 2008-09 shortfall. If anything is left over, it will become part of the town’s fund balance, which is close to 5 percent of the budget, she said.

Meanwhile, Charneski told the council she is “very optimistic” about the 2009-10 budget because it was developed based on the experiences of 2008-09. Also, about $2 million in insurance savings was recently realized.The town is preparing to go to the bond market in August. It plans to permanently finance $16 million for capital improvement projects in progress, such as the school fire alarm system and the purchase of the Dadio farm on Putnam Avenue. And, the town will be seeking $20 million in temporary notes to cover cash flow for the start of renovating Memorial Town Hall and the adjoining fire station. The project includes the addition of a police station.After the meeting, several council members said they were pleased that it looks like the 2008-09 budget will be flat.

“We did the best we could,” said President Al Gorman, D-at large. “We’re minding our assets. The economy hurt us and we started the year with a deficit.”