Reprinted from The Trumbull Times © Copyright 2010
April 15, 2010

By Donald Eng

The promise of Trumbull is on its way to becoming the reality of Trumbull, according to First Selectman Tim Herbst.

Herbst on Thursday gave his first State of the Town speech at Frenchtown School, the same place where the town's Republicans had made him their candidate for the office nine months ago.

"I vowed then that we would work to restore the promise of Trumbull," he said in his opening. "Tonight, I will set forth policies that I believe advance that ideal."

In a 20-minute speech that was at times thankful, hopeful, defiant and resolute, Herbst outlined the town's fiscal outlook, described his plans for the future and challenged residents to get involved in guiding the town's future.

He began by listing the fiscal actions the administration has taken since entering office Dec. 7.

"Before you can heal the patient, you have to stop the bleeding," he said. "Our immediate cash crunch required fast, decisive action, and we did not delay in taking it."

First, he took action to close a series of oversights in the pension plan which had resulted in some beneficiaries receiving a combined $250,000 in overpayments.

The administration also ceased the practice of providing nearly free health care coverage to a handful of employees. Herbst credited these and other actions with helping him identify $1 million in operational savings in his first 100 days in office.

Charter revision

But the fiscal savings are a short-term achievement, he said. Long-term solutions will come from a revision of the Town Charter, he said.

"Like a business, government should only spend that which it can afford," he said. "Tonight, I am asking the Charter Revision Committee to recommend that if a proposed bonding initiative reaches a certain threshold of our total debt, then that proposed bonding initiative should be put before the voters by way of a public referendum."

He also asked the committee to give the town's Internal auditor greater authority to review accounts in Town Hall and at the Board of Education.

Economic development

All of these actions should produce greater efficiency, Herbst said. But generating revenue is also important, and the best way to do that is through economic development, he said.

"Besides changing our procedures internally, the town continues to aggressively attract new businesses to grow our Grand List," he said.

The cornerstone of the town's economy is the Westfield mall, by far the largest taxpayer in town. Herbst touted Westfield's upcoming $40 million renovation as "historic" and said it would promote commerce and grow the Grand List.

"In these economic times, it is truly impressive that Westfield will invest such a significant amount of money in the town's largest commercial asset," he said. "The end result of their commitment will be an exciting destination in the region."

Other hot spots of economic development include Trumbull Center, currently undergoing a renovation of its own, and a planned revitalization of Long Hill Green into a mixed use district.

Education

Herbst challenged the school system to match the town's commitment to do more with less.

"We are charged with providing our children with a quality education under the constraints of a severe national recession," he said. "Good people can disagree on the appropriate funding level for our school system. However, let's distinguish the facts from the fiction."

In his budget proposal, Herbst recommended an increase of 2.24% in school spending. For comparison, Shelton and Norwalk's mayors recommended flat funding levels, and the first selectmen of Fairfield and Easton recommended 1.7% and 2%, respectively.

"Municipal leaders are reacting to an ability to pay crisis," Herbst said.

The problem, he said, is the contractual obligations to the school system's employees.

"Tonight, I am calling on the seven members of the Board of Education to take the necessary action to find immediate and substantial cost containment," he said.

Public safety

Finally, Herbst praised the Trumbull Police Department for its work in driving down residential burglaries by 88%. But he then told residents that they would be needed to fight another danger to public safety: a proposed fuel cell generator in town.

"The fuel cells will consume around 500,000 cubic feet of natural gas a day, producing electricity, carbon dioxide, water vapor and an immense quantity of heat," he said. "The plant will release up to 66,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a day, 6,500 gallons of wastewater...and a steady vapor stream from the exhaust stack."

Herbst said the placement of the facility in Nichols would establish a dangerous precedent. He added that the technology was untested.

"A densely populated residential neighborhood should not serve as this company's science experiment," he said.

Southern Connecticut Gas Co., which owns the property, must cancel its contract with the fuel cell manufacturer, Danbury FuelCell Energy Inc. In turn, FuelCell must not file its application with the state, he said.

"If they fail to do so, the town is prepared to exhaust every legal remedy and dedicate the necessary resources to wage an aggressive battle before the State Siting Council," he said.

Despite the challenge of the fuel cell proposal, Herbst said he was confident in the town's future.

"The state of our town is strong because her people are strong," he said. "Working together, confronting the challenges that lie ahead with a resolute commitment to lead our town to better days, I am confident that the reality of Trumbull will live up to the promise of Trumbull."