Please be advised that as of 11am on Sunday, December 26th, 2010 a parking ban will be in effect until further notice. The parking ban prohibits parking on the ODD SIDE of Hamden streets.
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Sunday, December 26, 2010
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Drainage Improvement Study
From www.patch.hamden.com
In addition to contamination fears, residents living in the Newhall and Highwood areas of southern Hamden have had to put up with flooding for years due to an antiquated system of undersized water pipes.
With the state Department of Environmental Protection's remediation project underway, this as an opportunity to address the flooding problem while roads are already being dug up, town officials said.
"The Newhall Street neighborhood has been the victim of severe flooding for many years," said Mayor Scott Jackson's chief administrative officer Curt Leng. "The town of Hamden is working to address this issue by conducting a comprehensive drainage study."
A request for proposals has been sent out for an engineering firm to do studies of both the Newhall and Highwood neighborhoods, Leng said, the cost of which will be paid from the town's capital projects account.
"Once completed, the study will be used by the town to seek Federal and State grant assistance to implement the infrastructure improvements," he said. "The study is timely, as the town will take advantage of the on-going environmental remediation work by the Department of Environmental Protection to allow greater visual access to the town's storm water drainage system."
The DEP commenced the project earlier this year to remediate properties built on an old landfill. Dozens of homes will be remediated under the state DEP project. More than two dozen are completed, and as many as 60 could be done in the next year.
With that work ongoing, it's the perfect time to address the flooding problems, Jackson said.
"The Town will have a rare opportunity to take advantage of the open ground," he said, "and allow the engineers to develop comprehensive solutions to this long standing problem."
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In addition to contamination fears, residents living in the Newhall and Highwood areas of southern Hamden have had to put up with flooding for years due to an antiquated system of undersized water pipes.
With the state Department of Environmental Protection's remediation project underway, this as an opportunity to address the flooding problem while roads are already being dug up, town officials said.
"The Newhall Street neighborhood has been the victim of severe flooding for many years," said Mayor Scott Jackson's chief administrative officer Curt Leng. "The town of Hamden is working to address this issue by conducting a comprehensive drainage study."
A request for proposals has been sent out for an engineering firm to do studies of both the Newhall and Highwood neighborhoods, Leng said, the cost of which will be paid from the town's capital projects account.
"Once completed, the study will be used by the town to seek Federal and State grant assistance to implement the infrastructure improvements," he said. "The study is timely, as the town will take advantage of the on-going environmental remediation work by the Department of Environmental Protection to allow greater visual access to the town's storm water drainage system."
The DEP commenced the project earlier this year to remediate properties built on an old landfill. Dozens of homes will be remediated under the state DEP project. More than two dozen are completed, and as many as 60 could be done in the next year.
With that work ongoing, it's the perfect time to address the flooding problems, Jackson said.
"The Town will have a rare opportunity to take advantage of the open ground," he said, "and allow the engineers to develop comprehensive solutions to this long standing problem."
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Thursday, November 18, 2010
Youth Center and Sidewalks
Pleased to report that work is underway on phase two of the sidewalk replacement/repair program - northern Hamden and Whitneyville should be seeing sidewalks poured!
Also, our Youth Center has moved to 60 Putnam and were working hard to male improvements that will make us proud!
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Also, our Youth Center has moved to 60 Putnam and were working hard to male improvements that will make us proud!
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Saturday, October 09, 2010
Come Visit Hamden Facebook Page
Come visit and become a fan of the Town of Hamden official Facebook page. Search "Town of Hamden" in Facebook search engine and click "Like". Bringing Hamden info right to your computer!
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Thursday, October 07, 2010
Parks Getting Great Upgrades!
By Ann DeMatteo, Assistant Metro Editor
adematteo@newhavenregister.com
HAMDEN — By next week, Bassett Field should have a spiffy new look, just like Legion and Cesare Memorial fields before it.
That’s because the Public Works Department and the mayor’s office have worked together to provide parks maintenance workers the tools and the time they need to get the job done.
The mayor’s office had fielded calls from citizens and sports groups about the disrepair, according to Chief Administrative Officer Curt Leng.
“We had meetings and talked about strategically hitting the fields and bringing them to safer and more playable condition,” he said. “The parks division has done a tremendous job of upgrading the fields.”
As a result, field maintenance work had to be reorganized and prioritized, said acting Public Works Director Jack Kennelly, who took over at the end of August because Director Joseph Velardi is on sick leave.
Now, fields will be fixed one at a time until all the work is finished, Kennelly said. Previously, parks maintenance crews would be sent to the ball fields whenever a complaint arose.
“They were taken in many directions and nothing was completed,” he said.
Kennelly, a Democratic at-large councilman, said at a recent council meeting that the crews are good at their jobs, and the “results speak for themselves.” To fix a field properly takes a minimum of four people two to four days to prepare the field, depending on its size and how many diamonds it has. While some workers are mowing and removing weeds, others are pulverizing, scarifying and belt raking the playing areas. Legion, Cesare and Bassett will also be getting new page fence back stops.
To prepare fields for the fall playing season, a more efficient way of doing things with fewer people had to be figured out, Kennelly said.
Due to budget cuts, nine parks workers who had worked under the Parks and Recreation Department were transferred to Public Works. But, three seasonal employees who spent summers helping to maintain the fields got laid off. Another full-time parks worker was laid off. Fields were in disrepair for some time and didn’t get fully repaired going into the summer season.
When Bassett Field is completed, the workers will move to Rochford Field. Discussions will take place to determine which field to tend to next.
Meanwhile, an enclosed trailer has been delivered to Public Works following Legislative Council approval. Employees are happy because they will no longer have to load and unload equipment onto open trailers on a daily basis, saving time and manpower. The enclosed trailer has been equipped with storage racks and cabinetry for the equipment. The trailer cost $11,284.
It had taken 45 minutes to an hour each morning and at the end of each workday to load and unload the two open trailers that carry the equipment and place it in the garage, a waste of manpower, Kennelly said. Having the trailer will save 18 man-hours a day, 90 hours a week and 360 a month, Kennelly said, for an annual total of $217,000.
“We had to scramble every morning. This way, everything is all there,” said Ken Paecht, a foreman and parks and recreation union president.
Employees had asked for an enclosed trailer previously.
The town also is depending on teams, coaches and parents to work with the town to keep things clean. Boy Scouts recently painted over graffiti of dugouts at Legion Field, Leng said.
adematteo@newhavenregister.com
HAMDEN — By next week, Bassett Field should have a spiffy new look, just like Legion and Cesare Memorial fields before it.
That’s because the Public Works Department and the mayor’s office have worked together to provide parks maintenance workers the tools and the time they need to get the job done.
The mayor’s office had fielded calls from citizens and sports groups about the disrepair, according to Chief Administrative Officer Curt Leng.
“We had meetings and talked about strategically hitting the fields and bringing them to safer and more playable condition,” he said. “The parks division has done a tremendous job of upgrading the fields.”
As a result, field maintenance work had to be reorganized and prioritized, said acting Public Works Director Jack Kennelly, who took over at the end of August because Director Joseph Velardi is on sick leave.
Now, fields will be fixed one at a time until all the work is finished, Kennelly said. Previously, parks maintenance crews would be sent to the ball fields whenever a complaint arose.
“They were taken in many directions and nothing was completed,” he said.
Kennelly, a Democratic at-large councilman, said at a recent council meeting that the crews are good at their jobs, and the “results speak for themselves.” To fix a field properly takes a minimum of four people two to four days to prepare the field, depending on its size and how many diamonds it has. While some workers are mowing and removing weeds, others are pulverizing, scarifying and belt raking the playing areas. Legion, Cesare and Bassett will also be getting new page fence back stops.
To prepare fields for the fall playing season, a more efficient way of doing things with fewer people had to be figured out, Kennelly said.
Due to budget cuts, nine parks workers who had worked under the Parks and Recreation Department were transferred to Public Works. But, three seasonal employees who spent summers helping to maintain the fields got laid off. Another full-time parks worker was laid off. Fields were in disrepair for some time and didn’t get fully repaired going into the summer season.
When Bassett Field is completed, the workers will move to Rochford Field. Discussions will take place to determine which field to tend to next.
Meanwhile, an enclosed trailer has been delivered to Public Works following Legislative Council approval. Employees are happy because they will no longer have to load and unload equipment onto open trailers on a daily basis, saving time and manpower. The enclosed trailer has been equipped with storage racks and cabinetry for the equipment. The trailer cost $11,284.
It had taken 45 minutes to an hour each morning and at the end of each workday to load and unload the two open trailers that carry the equipment and place it in the garage, a waste of manpower, Kennelly said. Having the trailer will save 18 man-hours a day, 90 hours a week and 360 a month, Kennelly said, for an annual total of $217,000.
“We had to scramble every morning. This way, everything is all there,” said Ken Paecht, a foreman and parks and recreation union president.
Employees had asked for an enclosed trailer previously.
The town also is depending on teams, coaches and parents to work with the town to keep things clean. Boy Scouts recently painted over graffiti of dugouts at Legion Field, Leng said.
Monday, October 04, 2010
Ridge Hill School Renovation Coming Soon
HAMDEN — For the Board of Education, Ridge Hill School has been No. 1 on the capital improvements list and has been approved to undergo a series of renovations.
The School Building Committee, made up of members of the school board and Legislative Council, Wednesday night approved an architectural services document for interested firms to follow when they submit proposals.
The document will be reviewed by the council and then proposals will be sought.
The council has set aside $1.2 million for renovations to the school on Carew Road, though the list of what needs to be done is estimated at $1.6 million. When firm prices for the work are decided, some of the work would probably be eliminated, officials said Wednesday night.
Repairs include new carpeting, floor and ceiling tiles, bathrooms, replacing hallway dividers with permanent walls and upgrades in various areas such as lighting and the building management system. All restrooms also will be renovated.
Meanwhile, $422,000 in energy improvements are already underway, according to Mark Albanese, director of facilities for the school system. The town’s energy consultant, Power Point, has completed about 95 percent of the lighting upgrades. Miscellaneous fixtures and controls upgrades will be done by mid-October, Albanese reported.
“There is a tremendous difference in the lighting. We’ve reduced the number of fixtures and wattage, but we have more lighting,” he told the committee.
Roughly half of the money for the energy improvements came from a United Illuminating grant, according to mayoral aide Curt Leng. The rest of the money is coming from town resources and a UI financing program, he said.
Albanese said that the goal is to start working on renovations over the Christmas, February and April vacations. Work cannot begin until all of the proposals are back and the best proposal is selected.
Leng said that the repairs for Ridge Hill made it to the front burner because of complaints about the school’s condition.
“Ridge Hill is one of the oldest buildings in the district which hasn’t undergone any type of renovation,” Albanese said.
Ridge Hill was built in 1969 and still contains a lot of original materials, including the bathrooms, water fountains and ceiling and gymnasium tiles. The gym and ceiling tiles contain asbestos and will have to be carefully monitored when removed.
Kimberly Scroggins is a Register intern. Assistant Metro Editor Ann DeMatteo contributed to this report.
The School Building Committee, made up of members of the school board and Legislative Council, Wednesday night approved an architectural services document for interested firms to follow when they submit proposals.
The document will be reviewed by the council and then proposals will be sought.
The council has set aside $1.2 million for renovations to the school on Carew Road, though the list of what needs to be done is estimated at $1.6 million. When firm prices for the work are decided, some of the work would probably be eliminated, officials said Wednesday night.
Repairs include new carpeting, floor and ceiling tiles, bathrooms, replacing hallway dividers with permanent walls and upgrades in various areas such as lighting and the building management system. All restrooms also will be renovated.
Meanwhile, $422,000 in energy improvements are already underway, according to Mark Albanese, director of facilities for the school system. The town’s energy consultant, Power Point, has completed about 95 percent of the lighting upgrades. Miscellaneous fixtures and controls upgrades will be done by mid-October, Albanese reported.
“There is a tremendous difference in the lighting. We’ve reduced the number of fixtures and wattage, but we have more lighting,” he told the committee.
Roughly half of the money for the energy improvements came from a United Illuminating grant, according to mayoral aide Curt Leng. The rest of the money is coming from town resources and a UI financing program, he said.
Albanese said that the goal is to start working on renovations over the Christmas, February and April vacations. Work cannot begin until all of the proposals are back and the best proposal is selected.
Leng said that the repairs for Ridge Hill made it to the front burner because of complaints about the school’s condition.
“Ridge Hill is one of the oldest buildings in the district which hasn’t undergone any type of renovation,” Albanese said.
Ridge Hill was built in 1969 and still contains a lot of original materials, including the bathrooms, water fountains and ceiling and gymnasium tiles. The gym and ceiling tiles contain asbestos and will have to be carefully monitored when removed.
Kimberly Scroggins is a Register intern. Assistant Metro Editor Ann DeMatteo contributed to this report.
Hamden Repairing Sidewalks!
By Ann DeMatteo, Assistant Metro Editor
adematteo@newhavenregister.com
Concrete foreman Mike Donaghy of BIRM-1 of Ansonia prepares to pour fresh concrete while repairing sidewalks damaged by tree roots along Woodlawn Street In Hamden. The town repairs sidewalks year-round, except for winter. (Peter Casolino/Register)
HAMDEN — If you live in Spring Glen or the southwestern section of town, you may see contractors repairing sidewalks.
That’s because the town is using about $775,000 in state grant money and capital funds to pay for repairs to cracked and raised sidewalks damaged by tree roots.
The work is being done to combat a 15-year backlog of residential requests, according to Curt Balzano Leng, chief administrative officer to Mayor Scott D. Jackson.
“One of the mayor’s objectives was to clean the list up. We thought it was an eight-year backlog, but it’s really 15 years,” Leng said.
The goal for 2010 is to clear up complaints made through 1999. While contractors are on those streets, newer complaints on the list also will be handled so that streets can be finished and up to date, Leng said.
In order to determine which areas of town should be done first, the Engineering Department split the town into quadrants and looked at the areas with the largest number of old complaints. Southwestern Hamden and Spring Glen were at the top of the list. Two different companies were hired to tackle the cracks.
BIRM-1 of Ansonia is working in Spring Glen and Blue Ribbon Services Inc. of East Haven is taking care of southwestern Hamden.
The town opened bids May 20 and issued purchase orders for the work July 16, said Purchasing Agent Richard Cumpstone.
BIRM-1’s bid was $199,132.50 for the Spring Glen area. Blue Ribbon’s purchase order was for $54,000, while its bid was $86,010. Town officials said the purchase order will be raised to the higher amount, because more capital funds became available Aug. 25.
According to Town Engineer Robert Brinton, sidewalks in southwest Hamden on Belden and Twin Brook roads; Saint Mihiel and West Side drives and Woodin Street have been repaired.
In Spring Glen, Elihu, Filbert, Greenway, Harmon, Waite and Woodlawn streets and Whitney Avenue have been completed, Brinton said.
Tonight, the Legislative Council will act on the acceptance of $200,000 from the state’s local capital improvement program. The town already accepted $200,000 from the grant program in May. The council approved $275,000 for sidewalk repair in this year’s budget, and there is roughly $100,000 left from previous capital allocations.
The town will also be seeking bids for sidewalk replacement work in the northern, southeastern and Whitneyville sections of town. One or more contractors will be hired, Leng said.
The only areas that won’t be part of the sidewalk repairs this year are Hamden Plains, which had a lower number of complaints that dated from 1995 to 1999, and the Newhall area, where yards are being remediated and sidewalks repaired at the same time, Leng said.
The Engineering Department, rather than the mayor’s office, is now determining which sidewalks will be done. “We work with them to set policy and get funding to do their job,” Leng said.
(QUESTIONS - E-MAIL me at curt.leng@yahoo.com)
adematteo@newhavenregister.com
Concrete foreman Mike Donaghy of BIRM-1 of Ansonia prepares to pour fresh concrete while repairing sidewalks damaged by tree roots along Woodlawn Street In Hamden. The town repairs sidewalks year-round, except for winter. (Peter Casolino/Register)
HAMDEN — If you live in Spring Glen or the southwestern section of town, you may see contractors repairing sidewalks.
That’s because the town is using about $775,000 in state grant money and capital funds to pay for repairs to cracked and raised sidewalks damaged by tree roots.
The work is being done to combat a 15-year backlog of residential requests, according to Curt Balzano Leng, chief administrative officer to Mayor Scott D. Jackson.
“One of the mayor’s objectives was to clean the list up. We thought it was an eight-year backlog, but it’s really 15 years,” Leng said.
The goal for 2010 is to clear up complaints made through 1999. While contractors are on those streets, newer complaints on the list also will be handled so that streets can be finished and up to date, Leng said.
In order to determine which areas of town should be done first, the Engineering Department split the town into quadrants and looked at the areas with the largest number of old complaints. Southwestern Hamden and Spring Glen were at the top of the list. Two different companies were hired to tackle the cracks.
BIRM-1 of Ansonia is working in Spring Glen and Blue Ribbon Services Inc. of East Haven is taking care of southwestern Hamden.
The town opened bids May 20 and issued purchase orders for the work July 16, said Purchasing Agent Richard Cumpstone.
BIRM-1’s bid was $199,132.50 for the Spring Glen area. Blue Ribbon’s purchase order was for $54,000, while its bid was $86,010. Town officials said the purchase order will be raised to the higher amount, because more capital funds became available Aug. 25.
According to Town Engineer Robert Brinton, sidewalks in southwest Hamden on Belden and Twin Brook roads; Saint Mihiel and West Side drives and Woodin Street have been repaired.
In Spring Glen, Elihu, Filbert, Greenway, Harmon, Waite and Woodlawn streets and Whitney Avenue have been completed, Brinton said.
Tonight, the Legislative Council will act on the acceptance of $200,000 from the state’s local capital improvement program. The town already accepted $200,000 from the grant program in May. The council approved $275,000 for sidewalk repair in this year’s budget, and there is roughly $100,000 left from previous capital allocations.
The town will also be seeking bids for sidewalk replacement work in the northern, southeastern and Whitneyville sections of town. One or more contractors will be hired, Leng said.
The only areas that won’t be part of the sidewalk repairs this year are Hamden Plains, which had a lower number of complaints that dated from 1995 to 1999, and the Newhall area, where yards are being remediated and sidewalks repaired at the same time, Leng said.
The Engineering Department, rather than the mayor’s office, is now determining which sidewalks will be done. “We work with them to set policy and get funding to do their job,” Leng said.
(QUESTIONS - E-MAIL me at curt.leng@yahoo.com)
Monday, May 31, 2010
Summer Construction
Three neighborhoods getting major sidewalk reconstruction. Updating the infamous damage list from 1995 to this decade!
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Friday, April 02, 2010
Budget Thoughts
I would like to encourage residents to give me all of your budget ideas at cleng@Hamden.com. Many ideas have been coming in and it's all been very helpful. I would like to encourage as much discussion as possible. I look forward to our conversations.
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Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Hamden's Budget Proposal
We've posted Hamden's proposes budget in full on the Town website at www.Hamden.com. Take a look and I look forward to hearing your feedback. Email me at cleng@Hamden.com.
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Sunday, March 07, 2010
Budget Address
Mayor's budget address is one week away, March 15, at 7:00 pm, Thorton Wilder Hall, at the Miller Library Complex.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Budget Community Meetings Begin
By Ann DeMatteo, Assistant Metro Editor
HAMDEN — One thing is for certain in next year’s town budget: There will be fewer employees and a reduction of services.
“The question is: What people and what services?”
That was the question Mayor Scott D. Jackson posed to a citizen roundtable Thursday night at the M.L. Keefe Community Center.
It was Jackson’s first budget conversation with the public. Another session will take place 7-9 p.m. Thursday at the Miller Senior Center, 2901 Dixwell Ave.
Because of the difficulties facing the town in the preparation of the 2010-11 budget, Jackson wanted to reach out to the residents to gather their ideas. Jackson explained that the biggest driver in the upcoming budget is rising medical insurance costs.
“If we did nothing to try to reduce medical costs, we’re looking at an increase of $7 (million) to $8 million, roughly 2 mills,” Jackson said.
The current budget is $175 million, $125 million of which is funded through taxes. The tax rate is 29.5 mills. Based on town department requests and recommendations for medical and pension costs, the tax rate would jump to 37 mills.
“That is not doable,” said Jackson, who wants to present a budget to the Legislative Council next month that “doesn’t rip out the essential core of Hamden and its services, but doesn’t tax people out of town.”
Except for a suggestion from resident John Melillo to reduce the number of deputy chiefs in the Police Department from three to one, the session didn’t generate ideas for budget cuts. Instead, the nine residents who attended learned more about what goes into making the budget from Jackson and his chief aide, Curt Balzano Leng.
“I liked it a lot. It was more questions than suggestions,” said resident Michael Lockett.
Residents asked about town operations, and gave Jackson the impression they supported schools and libraries.
The cost to regionalize services and a lack of state funding were also discussed.
Jackson said after the meeting that what he heard from residents is that they support the schools and libraries.
HAMDEN — One thing is for certain in next year’s town budget: There will be fewer employees and a reduction of services.
“The question is: What people and what services?”
That was the question Mayor Scott D. Jackson posed to a citizen roundtable Thursday night at the M.L. Keefe Community Center.
It was Jackson’s first budget conversation with the public. Another session will take place 7-9 p.m. Thursday at the Miller Senior Center, 2901 Dixwell Ave.
Because of the difficulties facing the town in the preparation of the 2010-11 budget, Jackson wanted to reach out to the residents to gather their ideas. Jackson explained that the biggest driver in the upcoming budget is rising medical insurance costs.
“If we did nothing to try to reduce medical costs, we’re looking at an increase of $7 (million) to $8 million, roughly 2 mills,” Jackson said.
The current budget is $175 million, $125 million of which is funded through taxes. The tax rate is 29.5 mills. Based on town department requests and recommendations for medical and pension costs, the tax rate would jump to 37 mills.
“That is not doable,” said Jackson, who wants to present a budget to the Legislative Council next month that “doesn’t rip out the essential core of Hamden and its services, but doesn’t tax people out of town.”
Except for a suggestion from resident John Melillo to reduce the number of deputy chiefs in the Police Department from three to one, the session didn’t generate ideas for budget cuts. Instead, the nine residents who attended learned more about what goes into making the budget from Jackson and his chief aide, Curt Balzano Leng.
“I liked it a lot. It was more questions than suggestions,” said resident Michael Lockett.
Residents asked about town operations, and gave Jackson the impression they supported schools and libraries.
The cost to regionalize services and a lack of state funding were also discussed.
Jackson said after the meeting that what he heard from residents is that they support the schools and libraries.
Budget Work Underway
By Ann DeMatteo, Assistant Metro Editor
HAMDEN — While working to resolve a potential deficit in this year’s budget, Mayor Scott D. Jackson is also seeking public comment for the next budget.
The first public conversation on the 2010-11 budget will be held 5-7 p.m. Thursday at the M.L. Keefe Community Center, 11 Pine St. Another forum will be held 5-7 p.m. March 4 at the Social Hall of the Miller Senior Center, 2901 Dixwell Ave.
Jackson said he wants to give residents the chance to tell him their priorities for fiscal 2010-11. In previous years, public input hasn’t been taken until after the Legislative Council received the mayor’s budget.
“By cultivating these conversations earlier in the budget season, I can focus my budget based on the service needs of Hamden’s citizens,” Jackson said.
With regard to this year, officials are controlling expenditures and the expense side of the budget should result in a surplus because of the controls according to Jackson’s chief aide Curt Balzano Lang.
Some revenues, especially those from the state, have not yet materialized and that could play a role in a potential deficit. There are also potential shortages in several accounts.
Meanwhile, the town’s medical self-insurance fund could be at least $5 million in the hole this year. The 2009-10 budget listed $22 million for medical self-insurance, but expenses could now be more than $27 million, according to Leng.
The money for medical self-insurance is passed through the operating budget, but is an internal service account that is supplemented with employee contributions. Additional money to cover the deficit does not exist.
“The two driving problems with this year’s budget are a drastically increased medical self-insurance expense. We won’t know until the end of year, but it’s millions more than expected,” Leng said.
Higher medical insurance costs, more employee claims and more prescriptions filled caused the jump. The town switched to medical self-insurance in the 1990s.
“It’s a higher medical year and the trend is showing next year isn’t going to be any better,” Leng said.
There also is an internal deficit in the fund of about $6.5 million because annual contributions have fallen short of needs.
“The mayor is working very hard on ways to reduce the overall cost with a host of different possibilities,” Leng said.
Some of those options may take effect before the end of the fiscal year. The changes will also be reflected in the 2010-11 budget.
The challenges for next year’s budget include maintaining the pension fund and controlling spending as much as possible, Leng said. “The mayor is very hesitant to pass on a significant tax increase to residents who are struggling with the other economic problems that every person is facing,” Leng said.
“But to balance a budget that has such significant commitments is going to require additional revenue and we’re not ready yet to say where that revenue is going to come from.”
The budget has to be presented by mid-March.
HAMDEN — While working to resolve a potential deficit in this year’s budget, Mayor Scott D. Jackson is also seeking public comment for the next budget.
The first public conversation on the 2010-11 budget will be held 5-7 p.m. Thursday at the M.L. Keefe Community Center, 11 Pine St. Another forum will be held 5-7 p.m. March 4 at the Social Hall of the Miller Senior Center, 2901 Dixwell Ave.
Jackson said he wants to give residents the chance to tell him their priorities for fiscal 2010-11. In previous years, public input hasn’t been taken until after the Legislative Council received the mayor’s budget.
“By cultivating these conversations earlier in the budget season, I can focus my budget based on the service needs of Hamden’s citizens,” Jackson said.
With regard to this year, officials are controlling expenditures and the expense side of the budget should result in a surplus because of the controls according to Jackson’s chief aide Curt Balzano Lang.
Some revenues, especially those from the state, have not yet materialized and that could play a role in a potential deficit. There are also potential shortages in several accounts.
Meanwhile, the town’s medical self-insurance fund could be at least $5 million in the hole this year. The 2009-10 budget listed $22 million for medical self-insurance, but expenses could now be more than $27 million, according to Leng.
The money for medical self-insurance is passed through the operating budget, but is an internal service account that is supplemented with employee contributions. Additional money to cover the deficit does not exist.
“The two driving problems with this year’s budget are a drastically increased medical self-insurance expense. We won’t know until the end of year, but it’s millions more than expected,” Leng said.
Higher medical insurance costs, more employee claims and more prescriptions filled caused the jump. The town switched to medical self-insurance in the 1990s.
“It’s a higher medical year and the trend is showing next year isn’t going to be any better,” Leng said.
There also is an internal deficit in the fund of about $6.5 million because annual contributions have fallen short of needs.
“The mayor is working very hard on ways to reduce the overall cost with a host of different possibilities,” Leng said.
Some of those options may take effect before the end of the fiscal year. The changes will also be reflected in the 2010-11 budget.
The challenges for next year’s budget include maintaining the pension fund and controlling spending as much as possible, Leng said. “The mayor is very hesitant to pass on a significant tax increase to residents who are struggling with the other economic problems that every person is facing,” Leng said.
“But to balance a budget that has such significant commitments is going to require additional revenue and we’re not ready yet to say where that revenue is going to come from.”
The budget has to be presented by mid-March.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Test
New app for keeping blog updated from iPhone ... Let's see how it works.
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