Upset with Budget Process, Some Residents Call for Charter Revision

After this year's second budget referendum, Patch commenters, Farmington Taxpayer Association members and letters to the editor in local papers, unhappy with the unusual way the town’s budget was passed, began calling for revisions to be made to the town’s charter.

After the Town Council’s proposed $87.6 million budget was defeated with 2,172 ‘yes’ votes and 2,499 ‘no’ votes at the May 5 referendum, the Council, as prescribed by the town charter, cut $750,000 from the proposed budget. 

Fearing that the $750,000 reduction would mean a loss of teacher jobs and after-school programs, concerned citizens rallied, and in a quorum at the Second Annual Town Meeting, restored the budget to its original $87.6 million with 324 ‘yes’ votes to 24 ‘no’ votes. At the second referendum on May 15, the same budget which was rejected two weeks earlier, was accepted with 2,774 ‘yes’ votes and 2,634 ‘no’ votes. 

Upset that only 324 ‘yes’ votes were able to restore $750,00 to the budget, some residents are speaking out.

“It makes no sense to me that 2 percent of the voters can overturn what thousands of people voted in favor of,” Farmington resident Paul Chotkowski said. “I don’t think that was the intent of the town charter.”

Chotkowski isn’t the only one upset at the budget process. 

William Baker, commenting on a Farmington Patch article said, “no Farmington resident is going to the polls with the intention to make Farmington worse off today than it was yesterday. The flaw is the process established in the town's charter that allowed the May 19 vote on a proposal that was rejected two weeks prior to even occur.”

For the town charter to be amended, a charter revision commission must be formed. That can happen either by a 2/3 vote of the Town Council or through a petition signed by no less than 10 percent of registered voters. The commission would then take input from citizens, before sending their proposed revisions to the Town Council, which may accept some, all or none or the proposed changes. Once again, a petition from no less than 10 percent of registered voters could then reinstate certain amendments before sending the proposed changes to referendum.

Whether or not the town charter is revised, there is little argument that the process is a long and strenuous one.

“I’d certainly be opening to listening, but it would be a tremendous drain on staff and resources,” Town Council Chairman Mike Clark said. “It would be a very significant undertaking. It’s like changing the Constitution.”

While some are wary of the time and resources involved in revising the town charter, others caution that a charter revision might allow for one party or elected official gain greater authority.

“Something does need to be done, but there’s a danger that we could go backwards,” Sam Iritano, former Board of Education member and former Farmington Taxpayer’s Association president said. “The Town Council Chairman would appoint to the commission those who see it his way. They don’t want to yield authority to people they don’t trust.”

While there may be a growing contingent of residents who feel the town charter must be changed, Clark believes it is a process that should not to taken into lightly.

“I wouldn’t support a charter revision as a knee-jerk reaction to a one-time event,” he said. “You can’t be in favor of Democracy only when it works your way.”