Board of Finance Budget Hearing April 29, 2026
The budget as presented is a continuation of the tax and spend mentality of our elected officials.
There should be controls and accountability on the excessive spending on the Attorney fees.
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Town Attorney Bob Decrescenzo, receives a contractual agreement of $9,166.67 monthly for service, a total of $110,000.04.
However, there is no accountability with a list and description of service provided.
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The page is blank leaving the taxpayers with no accountability for service.
When Town Manager Marc Nelson was asked about the lack of transparency, he stated that he is aware of the services provided.
In the past there has been a line-by-line description list of services provided.
That is not an acceptable response.
Why the change?
Decrescenzo has been given an additional amount of money for services to the Charter Revision Commission with a total of $35,820.75.
This invoice gives a line-by-line description of services.
Why the difference?
Why was this an additional cost, when this is Town business?The Town has hired additional attorneys at market rate when the Town Attorney has a conflict?
Since this is a self-imposed conflict, why can’t Decrescenzo pay the fees?
Why hasn’t the Town asked for reimbursement from DeCrescenzo for the additional cost?
Who is checking on the costs provided for services?
The Board of Education has provided a list and description of all Attorney services for one year with hundreds of pages.
The cost of $ 122,851 are mostly for Special Services associated with Special Education.
Special Education has become a windfall industry for all the services and costs provided to fulfill all the funded and unfunded mandates.
These costs are imposed on all the taxpayers for a total of 722 students in the Special Education programs.
The total student population is 4,087, asking the taxpayers to pay out of control costs for 17% of the Special Education student population.
Does each student under the direction of Special Education receive monthly reports on progress and goals ?
How many of the 722 students are eventually mainstreamed into the regular student population?
Many parents have unrealistic goals for their Special Needs children, leading to increased litigation for more individualized services, requiring the Board of Education to litigate the lawsuit at taxpayers’ expense.
The total cost to the taxpayers for one year of litigation is $ 122,851.
The Special Education industry as lobbyists has written the laws for mandates that are unreasonable and unaffordable.
The taxpayers have the power of the purse.
If the Special Education Industry cannot reduce the costs for services, the taxpayers must take control with the power of the purse and vote down the education budget to permanently reduce the mandates and services.
The Town was promised that the Simsbury Performing Arts will be repaying their cost of the additional building.
However, they diverted their discretionary funds to other resources.
The Simsbury Volunteer Ambulance has stated that they would reimburse the Town for the ambulance.
Has the Town provided a payment plan for reimbursement of the funds?
Who is responsible for accountability for reimbursement of these funds?
The Thrive Farm on the Eno Trust land as a recycling business has not produced any financials to the Town.
Since this is land for the poor, why have they not been asked to provide the Town with 10% of their gross profits for Social Servies?
The taxpayers should be assured that their hard-earned money is being spent to provide services with cost controls.
The taxpayers have the power of the purse.
Vote No on the budgets as presented.
