Federation of Connecticut Taxpayer Organizations

After he forced Thomaston's municipal budget to a referendum, Tony Durso did not celebrate. It's not a victory, he said, it's the beginning of a war. �"This can't be a one-shot deal where we just look at one budget," Durso said. So he has begun collecting names in the hopes of creating a permanent taxpayer watchdog organization in town. �His idea may be new to Thomaston, but it is part of a growing trend across the region and around the state. �In Torrington, Naugatuck and New Hartford, taxpayer watchdog groups have formed within the last year. The groups join others including Watertown, Winsted and New Britain, which is Connecticut's oldest at 75 years. �The Federation of Connecticut Taxpayer Organizations, formed in the mid-1980s to promote fiscal accountability by the state and in cities and towns, lists 28 different town organizations on its Web site. �Susan Kniep, president of the coalition, said taxpayer worries have been bubbling just below the surface for years, and tough economic times are bringing to the fore. �In Torrington, an organization was launched over the superintendent of schools' hefty pay contract. The Naugatuck group came about because some residents felt school spending was driving the town's tax rate out of control. �Kniep said other groups have formed because of corruption scandals in cities like Waterbury and Bridgeport. At the state level, investigators are examining records to determine whether Gov. John G. Rowland's gifts from friends were in exchange for �lucrative contracts. �Kniep said taxpayer distrust of politicians is leading them to question budget appropriations. That prompted Thomaston's Durso to demand a referendum and set the stage for the formation of his town's watchdog group. �Durso said if Thomaston's proposed 2004-05 budget passes, the average homeowner will see taxes bounce from $3,469 this year to $4,097 next year, an 18 percent jump. �Rob Kane, chairman of the Town Council in Watertown, where the Watertown-Oakville Taxpayer's Association has been active for nearly 15 years, said it makes sense that residents in many towns are coming together fight tax increases. �"The price of everything is going up including milk and gas," Kane said. "Everything affects your pocket book, so nobody wants to pay more in taxes. The only place that taxpayers truly have any kind of say in their government is at the local level." �Kniep said taxpayer group membership is growing and they're flexing their muscles by exercising their constitutional rights to petition. �"That is the only protection we have, to be able to defeat a budget and send it back to the officials," Kniep said. "We have to tell them what we are willing to pay in taxes, not what they will impose on us. You are seeing budget referendums being defeated all over the state." �Since the beginning of the month, voters have rejected the following budgets:

� Seymour's combined town and school budget

� The Region 6 school budget, which includes Warren, Morris and Goshen

� The Region 7 school budget, which includes New Hartford, Colebrook, Norfolk and Barkhamsted

� The Region 14 school budget, which includes Woodbury and Bethlehem

� The Region 15 school budget, which includes Middlebury and Southbury

� The Region 16 school budget, which includes Prospect and Beacon Falls

� Litchfield's combined school and town budget

� Watertown's combined school and town budget

In Region 7, New Hartford's Citizens for Responsible Government sent a flier to residents outlining concerns about the proposed 5.86 percent budget increase. Voters then rejected the budget 648-267, although it passed in each of the district's three other towns. Mark Hawley, president of the group, said it's not a coincidence. There is a watchdog group in his town but not in the district's other towns, Barkhamsted, Colebrook and Hartland. �"We can make a difference, there's no doubt about it," Hawley said. �Using a flier is similar to efforts that have proven effective time and again in Watertown. �Jack Walton, spokesman for Watertown's group, said it also is not uncommon for his group to put up lawn signs or take out advertisements in newspapers when they don't support a proposed budget. He said the group's expenses are covered by the annual $10 dues paid by each of the group's 500 members. �While taxpayer groups rally to defeat budgets they say are irresponsible, those in charge of crafting budgets say residents simply don't understand that increases often are necessary. �In Plymouth, a recent town meeting had to beat back motions aimed at cutting between $800,000 and $1.6 million from the budget. David Merchant, chairman of the town's board of finance, said it is disturbing to see the work of his committee nearly decimated by a motion that doesn't include suggestions for where to cut. �Clifford Brammer, first selectman in Thomaston, said he doesn't think a referendum on the budget is a good idea for exactly that reason. He said only allowing residents to say yes or no to the bottom line is a bad idea. �"There is not a line item to cut from on the town side. We will be cutting services or employees," Brammer said. "If people are willing to cut services, come forward and tell us where to cut." �Steven Angelo has been the town manager in Winsted since December. He said he has seen taxpayer organizations in other places he has worked, including Massachusetts, where people just call for cuts all the time without being reasonable. He said that doesn't benefit anyone. �Skip Page, president of the Torrington Citizen Action Coalition, which was just formed this year, said his group intends to watch what the Board of Finance, Board of Education and mayor do, but they are not in place only to oppose those entities. �"We will take on any issues that we feel are important, even if that means supporting the town," Page said. �As an example, Page said the coalition and the city are in agreement that binding arbitration for salary disputes is a disservice to towns and taxpayers. �"I think it's always helpful to have additional citizens look at what we do," Angelo said. �Kane agrees. He said he may not always be on the same page as the taxpayer's association, but he values their input. �"I'm glad they get involved," Kane said. "It's easy for people to sit on the sidelines, but at least they come to the budget meetings. Whether they agree with me or not, this is still a democratic process, and I welcome participation from everyone."