By Anne White
The Greenwich Board of Estimate and Taxation (BET) passed this year’s municipal budget with significant cross-party support, an outcome that stands in stark contrast to the divisive political climate that permeated recent local governance. BET Chair Harry Fisher detailed the process and the collaborative efforts that characterized this year’s budget deliberations.
“Bipartisanship was very, very good this year,” Fisher noted, reflecting on the recent vote which saw a mix of support and opposition from both political parties, achieving a majority with an 8-4 vote in favor. Voting for the budget were Scott Kalb, Stephen Selbst, Elliot Alchek, Leslie Tarkington, Harry Fisher, David Alfano, Lucia Jansen, and Nisha Arora. Voting against the budget were: Karen Fassuliotis, Matt DesChamps, Leslie Moriarty, and David Weisbrod.
The approved budget included no cuts to the Board of Education’s operating budgets–but some capital reallocations that were made in conjunction with the Superintendent of Schools and agreed upon cooperatively. This was possible because the Board of Education has a significant amount of funding in what is termed “open capital projects” or projects budgeted in previous years where funds were not fully expended.
In an interview with the Greenwich Sentinel, Fisher explained the complexities behind the negotiation process, saying, “You can’t write these screenplays, but it’s just been a few days of on the edge of my chair wondering what was going to happen and trying to remain committed to getting the budget passed because if it didn’t pass, we would have reverted to last year’s budget with no new capital projects. That would have been a disaster for the town.”
The budget focuses on key infrastructure and community projects across Greenwich, with notable allocations including a modest tax increase of 2 .8%, funding for the Glenville Corridor, funding for the renovation of the Cos Cob Library, and maintaining the proposed expenditure for Old Greenwich School at $43 million. Additionally, it was revealed that with the cooperation of GPS, $1,925,000 was saved by capturing funds from projects which still have “open capital”, thus reducing the school’s capital requirements.
Further bolstering the fiscal management, Fisher highlighted that the funds for the Riverside Feasibility Study were preserved. “Considering Riverside School is operating at capacity, addressing its future needs remains a priority,” he said.
Discussing the negotiation dynamics, Fisher highlighted the ‘last minute fire drills’ that often punctuate the budget approval process. “One of the things I want to do is work on process and procedure for next year’s budget so that we avoid the last-minute f ire drill that we had,” Fisher stated, emphasizing the need for a more streamlined and less contentious approach.
The process, according to Fisher, involved intense deliberations, particularly around capital expenditures, which are often contentious due to their long-term financial implications. The BET successfully negotiated reductions in capital requests from the Board of Education while ensuring that necessary projects could proceed without undue financial strain.
Fisher noted the bipartisan nature of the budget’s passage, a goal he has championed since assuming the chairmanship. “It really is a huge thing,” he remarked. This year’s success, he hopes, sets a precedent for future deliberations, aiming to lower the temperature of local politics and foster a more cooperative environment.
Fisher articulated a vision for ongoing improvement in governance and fiscal management. “When you really look at it, local issues really shouldn’t have much of a partisan flavor to them. There’s not a lot at the local level that breeds partisanship. So my objective was to lower the temperature level, lower the acrimony, try to get more collaboration, more cooperation,” he explained. “There’s a lot that I want to look at changing with the whole budget process. But just lowering the acrimony and the temperature was a n important aspect, and I think we’ve accomplished some of that,” he said.
One issue which has received public attention and will likely be coming back to the BET at next month’s meeting is the issue of accepting grant money for a safety traffic study. We will stay tuned for that.
The BET’s approved budget now heads to the Representative Town Meeting (RTM) for final approval next month. The RTM vote is to approve or not to approve. The RTM also has the ability to reduce line items but cannot add items.
