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Concerned Taxpayers
of East Granby, Inc. (CTEG)
The Concerned Taxpayers of East Granby, Inc. (CTEG) is a nonpartisan organization that provides a forum for East Granby taxpayers to discuss issues affecting them. The major focus of the group is a balance of quality and affordability of services. We promote open government and involvement of taxpayers (residents, business owners and non-resident property owners) in the decision-making process.
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East Granby Budget Referendum Results
The May 8th budget referendum was defeated. The ballot questions are included below.
Main Question for Approval of Overall Budget
Yes - 423 (41.8%)
No - 590 (58.2%)
Total Voting 1013
Advisory Questions on Budget Amounts
General Government Budget
About right - 364 (36.6%)
Too low - 137 (13.8%)
Too high - 493 (49.6%)
Total voting 994
Board of Education Budget
About right - 193 (19.3%)
Too low - 203 (20.3%)
Too high - 603 (60.3%)
Total voting 999
There were 1015 votes including 7 absentee ballots. Some sections were left blank by voters, which is why some of the totals above do not add up to 1015. Voter turnout was approximately 30-32%.
Board of Finance Meeting
The Board of Finance met immediately after voting results were announced and voted 4-2 to make the following changes:
General Government - about 2.5% increase (down from 2.8%)
Board of Education - about 3.72% increase (down from 4.5%)
Reducation of $50,000 in capital budget
Overall tax increase will be .5 mill or 1.85% (down from 3.3%).
Next Referendum
The Board of Selectmen will meet to set a new referendum date during May.
The following questions appeared on the May 8th ballot:
QUESTION 1 - "Shall the Annual Budget for the Fiscal Year beginning July 1, 2012 through June 30, 2013 in the amount of $4,231,400 for the General Government; $14,200,000 for the Board of Education; $178,012 for Debt Service; $465,556 for the Capital Reserve Fund; totalling $19,074,968, a tax increase of 3.3%, be adopted as recommended by the Board of Finance." Yes/No
QUESTION 2 ADVISORY VOTE (Non-Binding) - In your opinion is the General Government Budget in the amount of $4,231,400, an increase of 2.8% for Fiscal Year 2012/2013, the right amount, too low, or too high?
QUESTION 3 ADVISORY VOTE (Non-Binding) - In your opinion is the Board of Education Budget in the amount of $14,200,000, an increase of 4.5% for Fiscal Year 2012/2013, the right amount, too low, or too high?
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Upcoming Dates
We've included a calendar of all CTEG meetings for the year on our Meeting Calendar page - click here.
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Items of Interest to East Granby Taxpayers
One of CTEG's missions is to keep taxpayers well informed about how their tax dollars are being spent. We have posted below several documents which may be of interest to taxpayers. CTEG will continue to add updated information and additional items as received.
If have have any suggestions about other information that you, as a taxpayer, would like to see, please contact us at info@egtaxpayers.org or call 860-658-0268.
Note: Some of these documents are fairly large and may take a while to download. The teacher's contract requires a pdf download is not viewable directly from the site.
General Government
Town Audit for FY 2010-11 - click here
Town Audit for FY 2009-10 - click here
Contract - Public Works Department 2007-10 - click here
Contract - Police 2006-10 - click here
Contract - Town Hall Employees 2007-10 - click here
General Government Salaries 2008 (does not include benefits) - click here
Board of Education
New: Contract - Superintendent - click here
Summary & Detail Report - BOE Budget 2011-12 & 2010-11 Comparison - click here
Contract - Certified Employees (Teachers) 2010-13 - click here
Contract - Administrators 2008-11 - click here
New Contract - Administrators 2011-13 - click here
Contract - Non-Certified Employees 2009-12 - click here
Board of Education Salaries 2009 (does not include benefits) - click here
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FCTO Releases Lists of State Expenditures for Fiscal Years 2005-06 through 2009-10
FCTO (The Federation of Connecticut Taxpayer Organizations) has recently released lists of state expenditures for the past five fiscal years which totals approximately $76.9 Billion. The information was compiled by the organization's Secretary/Treasurer, Robert Young, with the assistance and cooperation of Lt. Governor Nancy Wyman and the State Comptroller.
List 1 includes companies, individuals and/or departments which have received payments from the State of Connecticut which total between $10,000 and $22.50 billion - see link here (large file, please be patient...)
List 2 includes companies, individuals and/or departments which have received payments from the State of Connecticut which total between $1,000 and $9,999 - see link here (large file, please be patient...)
The lists do not include 28,170 payments made by the state totalling between $1 and $999.
For more information or if you have questions on these spreadsheets, see the FCTO website.
For another very comprehensive, sortable and easy to use look at state expenditures, see the Yankee Institute's CT Sunlight Project website, www.ctsunlight.org.
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Important Links to Your State Legislature
With budget season at hand, legislation at the state level is as important as what is done at the local level. These links will help keep you in touch with your state legislators.
Connecticut General Assembly
State Senate - Links to email addresses and bills introduced, arranged alphabetically by Senator - here
State House of Representatives - Links to email addresses and bills introduced, arranged alphabetically - here
State Senator John Kissel (R-7th Senatorial District)
State Representative Elaine O'Brien (D-61st House District)
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CBIA: Make Government Smaller and More Effective
CBIA (Connecticut Business and Industry Association) has a wealth of information on its website concerning state government, as well as ideas about ways to make it smaller and more effective. Connecticut is one of the least business-friendly states in the country. The state's economic well-being is dependent on keeping and attracting more jobs. To access the site, click here.
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Yankee Institute's Investigatory News Website
Raising Hale is a new website sponsored by the Yankee Institute for Public Policy.
Find out how the state is balancing its budget on the backs of college kids, how much a high school diploma costs, and learn about the tangle of links between the state's SustiNet Board and the foundation set up to advocate for it.
The Yankee Institute's investigative reporter, Zach Janowski, publishes news and information that
hasn't been covered in other news outlets on a wide range of topics related to
Connecticut, its state government, and the political issues that are at its
core.
And don't forget Yankee Institute's government transparency website, www.ctsunlight.org, which provides information on a vast array of state expenditures, accessible here.
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To accessRaising Haleclick here
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CTEG Brochure Available
If you'd like a copy of the CTEG brochure, email us at info@EGTaxpayers.org.
Or, a downloadable printable copy may be
accessed here.
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CTEG is a proud member of the
Federation of Connecticut
Taxpayer Organizations
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For more information about CTEG, or if you'd like to join,
please email us at info@EGTaxpayers.org, or call:
Ed Zawistowski at (860) 658-0268;
Vi Beaudreau at (860) 305-0875;
Yvon Lemieux at (860) 372-8111; or
Bill O'Neill at (860) 463-5822
There are no annual dues, but contributions are extremely welcome.
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