Press Release
From: The Federation
of Connecticut Taxpayer Organizations, Inc.
Contact: Susan Kniep, President
Telephone: 841-8032
June 26, 2007
BRING UNION
CONTRACTS OUT FROM BEHIND THE CLOSED DOORS OF SECRECY AND INTO THE LIGHT OF
PUBLIC DEBATE!
- Connecticut Property Owners Pay One of the
Highest Property Taxes in the Nation, Second to New Jersey!
- Personnel Costs Account for 75% to 85%
of Local Town and Board of Education Budgets!
- Unions, Town Officials, and Arbitrators
Discuss, Formalize and Finalize Union Contracts in Secrecy and then Send
Taxpayers the Bill!
TAXPAYERS MUST
NOW BECOME PART OF THE EQUATION!!!!
The Federation of Connecticut Taxpayer Organizations, Inc. is
working to end the secrecy surrounding Municipal and Board of Education union
contracts for which taxpayers pay between 75% to 85% of their
property taxes. In addition,
taxpayers deserve a full and detailed accounting of the costs associated with
each contract as well as the right to express their opinion on contracts prior
to receiving their property tax bill to pay for local union contracts.
To date, Connecticut’s
State Legislature has failed to enact true property tax reform. Property tax reform can only be realized
through restructuring State Mandates such as Binding Arbitration and Prevailing Wage State
Statutes. Every year
The Federation of Connecticut Taxpayer Organizations, Inc. (FCTO)
has attempted to convince our state legislators to reform these
laws which would in turn provide local property tax relief. This year, as in the past, the legislature
has failed to act.
As such, we are now turning our attention to local elected
officials due to the following.
Currently, twice a year, taxpayers receive a bill for
something many are unfamiliar with. Taxpayers
have to pay this bill. If they are
unable to pay, their town officials by State law will lien their property and
ultimately can take their homes from them.
The bill is called a property tax bill.
The tax bill holds many secrets.
The secrets are the wages, the healthcare, the pensions, changes in
working conditions, and all other associated costs of union contracts. The secrets are between the unions and town
officials. Sometimes arbitrators know
the secrets. The secrets are revealed
after all the members of the union learn the secrets, vote on the secrets, the
contracts are signed and the bill for those secrets is sent to taxpayers.
As such, FCTO is beginning a campaign to encourage local
officials in the 169 towns throughout Connecticut
to adopt the following standards:
- PUBLIC NEGOTIATIONS: To encourage town officials and unions
to negotiate Union Contracts in full public view with dates of
negotiations placed on file with the Town Clerk’s office. The public would not be allowed to
comment during these negotiation sessions but instead could listen and
gain insight into the terms and conditions proposed by both the union and
management, the costs for which will be passed on to the taxpayers.
- FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING: When terms of the contract have been
agreed to, public officials would provide their constituents with a full
financial accounting of the contract through the office of the Town Clerk
and/or on a town’s website. The delineation of costs would include
salaries, healthcare, pensions, and costs associated with any and all
changes in working conditions.
- PUBLIC HEARING: A public hearing would be held by town
officials on the contract thereby allowing for public input prior to the
contract being executed.
- If the contract was subject to
arbitration, the municipality would
- Adhere to Item 1 prior to
arbitration,
- Provide taxpayers, through their
local Town Clerk’s office, a full Financial Accounting of the Contract as
stipulated to in Item 2 which would reflect the decisions of the
arbitrators.
- Hold a Public Hearing on the
contract, reflecting the terms set by the arbitrators.
The following are towns in which the campaign to encourage
the aforementioned has been or soon will be initiated.
Avon
Contact: Florence
Stahl
860-673-2725
flostahl@snet.net
Bloomfield
Contact: Joe Wactowski
860-243-8491
jwactowski@cs.com
Brookfield
Contact: Fred Standt
(203) 775-9364
fstndt@aol.com
East Hartford
Contact: Susan Kniep
860-841-8032
fctopresident@ctact.org
New
Britain
Contact: Lenoard Chaponis
860-225-0079
chaponis2@yahoo.com or mecnbc@yahoo.com
Naugatuck
Contact: David Cronin
203-729-3995
dcrow06770@sbcglobal.net
New
London
Contact: Jim Louziotis
860-443-1144
ledgehill@sbcglobal.net
Salem
Contact: Robert M. Green
860-859-0836
rgreen619@snet.net
Southington
Contact: Sandra Feld
(860) 620-0704
csc@feldclan.com
Waterbury
Contact: Mike Telesca
203-573-9524
teleman2@aol.com
Watertown/Oakville
Contact: Jack Walton
860-274-4413
jacc45@hotmail.com
Wethersfield
Contact: Robert Young
(860) 563-6923
ryoung0@snet.net
West Hartford
Contact: Theresa McGrath
face0203@comcast.net
860-570-1203
Windham /
Willimantic
Contact: William Rood
860-456-2287 /
860-423-4861
williamrood@sbcglobal.net
FCTO Officers and Board Members will be appearing on local cable
programs and before local legislative bodies to discuss The Impact of Union Contracts on Local Budgets and why FCTO’s proposals are necessary to provide transparency of
union contracts for which taxpayers pay the lion's share of each property tax
dollar.
The following is the schedule to date. Please refer to FCTO’s
website http://ctact.org/
for updates.
July 2,
7 PM
Susan Kniep will speak before the
local legislative body of Brookfield, CT
Wednesday, June 27, from 9 PM to 10 PM
Cable Program - Eye on Windham, Channel 14
Marvin Edelman Host and Susan Kniep,
President, FCTO
Call In Cable Program
Call In Number: 860-456-3000.
Friday, July 13, from 7 PM to 8 PM
Cable Program – MetroCast Cable,
Channel 25
Jim Louziotis, Host and Susan Kniep
Call in Cable Program
Call in Numbers: 440-8525
and 888-339-3605
In summary, taxpayers can no longer wait patiently for their
State elected officials to reform State Binding Arbitration Laws to protect
them from the increasing costs associated with union contracts. Local elected officials can no longer
continue to burden taxpayers with steady property tax increases driven by union
contracts which are forcing some taxpayers to lose their most prized
possession, their homes.
The secrecy
surrounding union contracts must end!
Union
contracts are funded by public tax dollars!
The public
is entitled to become part of the equation!