Mayor Bill Finch is leaning on the towns of Trumbull and Monroe to join the city in a regional wastewater authority that would process sludge in the state’s largest city. Monroe has no sewers and wants to open up development. Trumbull has sewers, but no treatment plant. An agreement would create a mini municipality with bonding authority to purchase the wastewater infrastructure of Bridgeport and Trumbull. Presto: instant dough for both communities and upwards of $40 million for Bridgeport.
It would be a one-shot revenue, something Finch professed he’d not do, but has reversed himself because “It’s a freaking election year and I need the money!!!” Oh, such conviction.
Critics maintain a regional authority would ring the dinner bell for Bridgeport companies to head for the suburbs. They also maintain it will create a greater load on an already stretched sewer capacity. (Look out Long Island Sound!) The devil, of course, is in the details. How will this impact user rates? Someone has to pay for all this borrowing for poop infrastructure. Guess who? Homeowners and businesses. Trumbull’s user fee deal with the city expires next year and that will require renegotiation. Trumbull could build its own plant but that would cost a fortune. And once it’s processed where would it discharge? The Pequonnock River, if approved by the DEP. Trumbull could also cut a deal with another adjoining community with a treatment plant to take its poop. But why do that when you’re already hooked into Bridgeport?
Finch would like to budget the $40 million in one-shot revenues to aid his election year budget, but a deal will not happen any time soon in an arduous approval process that includes legislative bodies. Will Finch roll the dice, hope a regional deal is made and budget the revenue for his next budget? Not a smart roll of the dice. Democratic mayoral candidate John Gomes says a regional authority is a crappy deal for the city long term. Check out his statement:
Statement from John M. Gomes:
Regarding the Proposed Regional Sewage Authority
*Future disposal of sewage waste has now become a question of concern for neighboring towns.
Trumbull faces several options:
1. Invest millions of dollars to build a new sewage plant
2. Form a Regional Sewage Authority with Bridgeport
3. Build new sewer lines linked to either Fairfield or Stratford.
“The town is under increasing pressure to make a decision since Bridgeport’s Water Pollution Control Authority said it would not renew Trumbull’s contract for use of Bridgeport’s sewer system and treatment plant despite a five-year renewal option in place since 1997,” according to the Connecticut Post article, “Where to Flush” (Dec. 20, 2010).
Well today the best answer is: Don’t flush in Bridgeport.
A 40 million dollar one-time-only payment to Bridgeport and another amount paid in lieu of taxes, has been proposed as part of the plan to create a Regional Sewage Authority to include Monroe and Trumbull.
Please, do not do us any favor with this kind of “help” for our City in dealing with our $8 million deficit. We do not need the help of a quick fix now … that’s going to have an adverse impact over the long term.
As a result of this proposed Authority, a bonanza in economic development will occur for Trumbull and Monroe for years to come, yet Bridgeport gets a single one-time-only payment. The development in these towns will increase their sewage waste, perhaps to double or triple the current rate. Bridgeport will have to accept that increased amount of sewage over the years. Maybe the cost is accounted for, but it would not seem so as Bridgeport gets a fixed one-time-only payment at the time the Authority is created. Nothing else.
We haven’t been made aware of the full implications of this proposal as many critical questions remain unanswered.
Ideally, if Bridgeport were to receive funding on an annual basis during the life of this Authority, plus receiving the 40 million dollar lump sum payment, then this stream of funding could be used for City improvements to her infrastructure and for urban renewal projects. This is far more acceptable than a limited one-time-only payment of 40 million dollars.
Today, the poor state of our national economy has accelerated our poor economy here locally at home, and this has brought this City to a level of desperation. The accounting tricks and paper shuffling by the City Budget Office for the past 15 to 20 years no longer work to cover the screaming budget deficits.
The City faces staggering debt; the State can no longer bail us out, the federal government has pulled back dramatically with its funding programs, and here in the City no one has the know-how, the tenacity or the political will to right the financial ship. We have a Mayor who is doggedly and obsessively pursuing a terrible “quick fix” to the debt we now face in Bridgeport.
The day of reckoning is here.
This quick fix is not beneficial to the citizens of Bridgeport. And while some may make a lot of money helping to establish this three-town Regional Sewage Authority, the truth is that the citizens of Bridgeport make nothing.
The members of the Bridgeport City Council must reject this proposal.
A one-time-only payment of 40 million dollars is woefully inadequate. All residents and taxpayers of city must voice their opinion and challenge their elected councilmen and councilwomen to vote “no” to a Bridgeport-Trumbull-Monroe Regional Sewage Authority.
If elected Mayor by Bridgeport voters in 2011, I will pursue all legal action within my authority, to cancel any agreement that is made in the currently proposed terms to establish an Authority. Because that agreement is clearly detrimental to our City and her citizens.
*** At last, Gomes standing up for Bpt over an ongoing future threat, should this admin. decide to pull the trigger on a quick-fix money scheme just to save face with the budget in an election year. This type of public outcry & more is needed to wake up voters early if Gomes really wants to be taken seriously as a candidate for Mayor! Let’s see & hear more with a well-thought-out plan, no? *** HERE WE GO! ***
Hey guys–ladies too–get your mind out of the “sewer” and check out some porn:
blog.ctnews.com/dixon/2011/01/26/salary-porn-2011-hro-sdo-sro-hdo
Totally tired of re election hocus-pocus. Finch wants to sell our souls. Instead of helping us he is more worried about tricks and dirty deals to get him and his cronies four more years. I want to hear more from Gomes.
If you want to hear more from Gomes, what are you doing writing here? Click on the Gomes ad and indulge.
At first flush the $40 million seems like a good deal but in reality the residents of Bridgeport would be getting the short end of the stick.
The $40 Million would be a one-shot deal. We would be adding Monroe and more of Trumbull to a system that is already near maximum capacity. What does that mean? It means that both the West End and East Side treatment plants would need to be expanded and improved. Granted the cost would be spread amongst 3 communities but if we did not have Trumbull in the mix and did not add Monroe to the system we would be in good shape for just Bridgeport.
Here is another question. Giving Monroe access to a sewer system is sure to HURT any chance no matter how small for redevelopment in Bridgeport. With a sewer system in place developers would be flocking to Monroe instead of Bridgeport.
Sure we would have a regional board and Bridgeport would have more representatives than either Monroe or Trumbull individually but together Monroe and Trumbull would have more say than Bridgeport and thus take over the system.
I say no to regionalization as we know it now.
Finally Gomes is sounding like a serious candidate. I have no doubt that he has lots of other good ideas. It’s (note the apostrophe!) about time we are hearing about them.
I agree with Union that Finch will sell his soul (and our futures) to win this election. It’s (note the apostrophe) all about keeping their high-paid jobs for another 4 years.
I am astonished the Finch administration is moving ahead with the regionalization of the sewage system. Has the man not performed even the most basic of due diligence beyond looking at the impact of a sudden influx of $40,000,000 would do to the budget issues in your town? Your physical facility cannot possibly sustain the additional utilization without an upgrade expense that is likely to exceed the $40 million. There is no upside benefit to the City of Bridgeport that is apparent enough to make this folly worthwhile. The only benefit is to Finch’s reelection plans.
I assure you, other well run municipalities would impeach any mayor who would propose such an undertaking.
Before it is too late, you people of Bridgeport should immediately identify a suitable plaintiff, sue and obtain a restraining order to halt any further commitments Finch might make.
Lennie you’re working too hard on this story.
Every other week you’re running it. You must be picking up a check from Scinto.
We need this BS like we need four more years of Finch, DiNardo, Tippy, Mario.
Hi, Jimfox! I assure you Lennie is no longer on the take. Some do learn their lessons.
Jim, I ran it because a mayoral candidate has taken a position on it. It’s a big issue discussed heavily by officials of all three communities. As for Scinto perhaps you should direct your assertions toward Shelton officials.
TC, I wish it were true development would flock to Monroe. The problem here is there is still a large group of people who say Monroe is still a “rural” community and would fight development. Additionally doing business in Monroe, especially the zoning board is not a pleasant experience ask any of the many attorneys who have appeared before them. We have businesses that don’t even rely on sewers moving out on a consistent basis. The main reason sewers were being discussed again here, (Monroe turned down 10 million from the state for sewers, about 15 years ago) is the Jewish Home for the Elderly on the lower part of 25 within a mile of the Trumbull boarder. No one, at least on Town Council or the Board of Finance knows the status of that project. Last we heard we lost out on that project. I think many in this town want a sure thing before they start agreeing to digging up 25 and 111. Forward thinking and planning is not this town’s strong suit. Our Plan of Conservation development defines us as a prosperous suburban one, yet every year the people who vote no on our budget, 2, 3, and 4 times in row, scream we are a poor rural community concerned only with preserving the character of the town. We are like Sybil looking for an identity. Until we figure out which one of our personalities control we will continue on with no direction. Our leadership is in the kind of dark not seen since the N.E. blackout of 1965. Even if Trumbull were agreeable, don’t count on the current leadership and majority in Monroe to do what is the best development-wise for the town. We need a change of leadership, fresh new ideas and people to step up and challenge the Republican Machine in Monroe. Cronyism and letting the chosen few run above the law is not unique to Bridgeport.
If it’s an urban setting you want to live in, MOVE into one.
If only the people of Bridgeport were able to spot a fake from miles away–in the dark–like the folks in Monroe, we wouldn’t be having the problems we’re facing. Hey MCAT, how’s your vegetable garden going?
“… The accounting tricks and paper shuffling by the City Budget Office for the past 15 to 20 years no longer work to cover the screaming budget deficits …”
A little over twenty years ago, the City of Bridgeport was under tight control by the Financial Review Board (from 1988-1995). I can assure everyone reading this that there were NO “accounting tricks and paper shuffling by the City Budget Office.” The City of Bridgeport did not have control of the budget until 1995. From 1993 to 2003 (when Joe Ganim stepped down) there were no tax increases (overtaxing perhaps) and by 2003 the City had well over $52 Million in the rainy day fund and a $16 Million ballpark. “The accounting tricks and paper shuffling by the City Budget Office” started after Fabrizi took over and continue to this day.
Ray Fusci, forget about Ernie’s punctuation issues and correct my typos (there was NO, there were no tax increases).
If you want to help Ernie Newton, give him the number for John Fabrizi at the Adult Education Department. He’ll sign him up for night school.
{from Ray: Joel, your post is all fixed up!}
From Facebook:
Ernest Newton
I have a New business saling snow.
6 hours ago · Like Unlike · Comment
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5 people like this.
Yet Finch kept Fabrizi’s budget guy. Go figure!
Joel Gonzalez // Jan 27, 2011 at 11:33 am
To your posting
Alright Joel,
Let me rephrase. My original statement
“…The accounting tricks and paper shuffling by the City Budget Office for the past 15 to 20 years no longer work to cover the screaming budget deficits …”
My new statement
“… The accounting tricks and paper shuffling by the City Budget Office for the past 15 to 20 years no longer work to cover the screaming budget deficits …”
In other words, I would not re-phrase this in any way. But some 15 years ago, when the books had been cleaned up and the financial house was in order, you bet SHERWOOD began playing with the numbers … for Ganim … for Fabrizi … for Finch.
And now we have a screaming budget deficit, don’t we?
Going from very healthy City finances to a sick, sick budget …
And an even sicker administration, with Finch leading the efforts to continue filling the trough for the favored few … with contracts, with consultants, with overtime dollars, with city cars made available for personal use, etc. etc.
SHERWOOD finds the dollars for these taxpayer-paid indulgences through his experience of conveniently hiding these dollars in accounts that could be bogus at best.
So Joel,
I correct you and hope that you will agree that this type of budget nightmare for the Bridgeport taxpayer has got to be stopped.
“Statement from John M. Gomes …”
Lennie who did you say this statement was from?
carolanne curry // Jan 27, 2011 at 3:38 pm
Joel Gonzalez // Jan 27, 2011 at 11:33 am
“To your posting
Alright Joel,
Let me rephrase. My original statement …”
There is absolutely no upside for Bridgeport by forming a regional sewer authority with Trumbull and maybe Monroe.
We will get a one-time $40 Million fix that Finch and members of the council will use to fill budget gaps and hire more political cronies.
There is absolutely no one’s word in this administration you can trust. One minute we have an $8 million deficit and then the next it’s down to $3 million.
The city meaning Finch & Company don’t want to raise taxes in an election year yet they do not mind increasing our sewer taxes which they can blame on plant expansion and updating.
I can’t wait for Flush Timpanelli to weigh in on this idea. The last time he suggested we change all the toilets and urinals in city buildings so that we would have the capacity to take Monroe into the system. We all know that is pure and utter Bullshit.
Let’s elect new leaders, new members to the CC and then let them review this proposal.
A word of caution, every time we get involved with the suburbs we get screwed. Let me point to Rt 25 that was supposed to connect Rt 95 and RT 84. We lost taxable property a good portion of our park and for what, a project that never was and never will be finished.
If you want to pass a regional sewer authority let’s have a referendum vote on this item.
Town Committee, interesting thought about the referendum … let the people decide. I wonder if Monroe or Trumbull requires a referendum by charter.
RW&B I don’t know about those two communities but there is only an upside for them. They get two sewage treatment plants and get unlimited access. The $40 million is in the form of bonds that will be taken out by the newly formed sewer authority or whatever it will be called. The people tied into the sewers will pay for these bonds and this also includes the resident of Bridgeport. So in reality Finch and Company are still raising our taxes only they are trying to hide it from us.
Make sure they order enough ballots.
Maybe we have to go into the streets like Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria and Yemen so we can overthrow the machine that has run Bpt for the last 20 to 30 yrs. Maybe we can have the U.S. military invade Bpt and then rebuild our government and give us financial aid.
A new tri-city sewage system will cost each Bridgeport business and homeowner an average of $45,000 to $55,000 sewage assessment on top of your present tax bill. This assessment or lien will stay on your house ’til you pay it off. Bridgeport will never see the $40 Million or anything close to that amount.
The Smoke and Mirrors are up. A little more Smoke, a little more Mirror … And you have an (Authority).
Most sewage lines in Bridgeport need replacement along with a storm water system. The cost of replacement will run well over $2 Billion to $3.5 Billion at today’s cost. The new sewage treatment plants will have a price tag somewhere around $2.5 Billion-plus. This new tri-city authority will charge every homeowner and business a (User Fee) on top of your water bills, this is something the Finch Administration will not tell you.
How’s that $40 Million look now?
(Flash-Quote By Carlin&company)
Mark me down as happy that Mr. Gomes weighed in on this hot-button issue.
I’m a little too young to really remember when the years were golden here, but believe with new leadership the tide can be turned.
This is the last act of a desperate man. This is “Dollar” Bill Finch’s version of the “Hail Mary” pass. Everyone on his team is also praying for success so their season will go on as well. We will all Forgive & Forget their horrible performance that got us here.
Finch has repeatedly lied to us on every possible occasion. He lied about the City’s deficit to all the unions to make further concessions at the expense of union workers. He then showed his other face and laid off skilled city employees and replaced them with his own political lackeys.
This 40 Million Dollar Dream will never materialize. They might just as well say we will give you 100 Million Dollars. This is just more wishful thinking. We can put this check on the refrigerator next to the one from Steal Point. It can go where the other check should have been. Remember Finch’s election promise? I’m still waiting for my $600.00 dollar check. Please remember,
“Beware of Geeks bearing Gifts.”
*From a previous post …
In the front-page, 9/27/10, Connecticut Post article by Keila Torres “Regional approach proposed for WPCA,” the proposal by the Finch Administration to “regionalize” Bridgeport’s sanitary sewage-management facilities was presented in significant detail.
Truly, from Bridgeport’s perspective, this deal stinks to high heaven! It is an insane, no-win situation for Bridgeport. This proposal is nothing more than an addendum to the unholy compact signed between Trumbull and Bridgeport during the corrupt Tedesco Administration of 50 years ago, which allowed Trumbull to usurp Bridgeport’s development prerogative and steal our tax base, with the added injury of ruining our Trumbull-border neighborhoods (hence, the North End traffic-safety/air/noise/light-pollution/flooding nightmare–attributable to the effects of Trumbull Shopping Park and the Old Town Road/Lindeman Drive/Reservoir Avenue, and Park Avenue border development by Trumbull) …
When we first accepted Trumbull’s sewage, circa 1960, we effectively committed our own economic knee-capping! Coincident with the deal was the establishment of Trumbull Shopping Park and the beginning of the painful, on-going death of our Downtown–with the subsequent loss of a mighty piece of grand list! Along with Downtown retail/commercial tax-base, a large number of East Main Street and Main
Street retail/commercial businesses exited to Trumbull (as border development/Trumbull Center expanded)–as did a significant portion of our middle class.
In addition to our huge loss of extant and potential retail/commercial tax base, we also eventually lost a significant amount of extant and potential industrial tax base to Trumbull (e.g., Trumbull Industrial Park). It is very probable that Bridgeport’s socioeconomic collapse would have been averted if Trumbull had been forced to accommodate their own sewage/tax base-growth dilemma! …
Now we want to expand Trumbull’s use of our sewage capacity and include Monroe in the bargain! Insane! Do you hear the whoosh as our remaining and potential tax base exits or bypasses Bridgeport via the 25-8 Connector?! (The 25-8 Connector was part of the same “regional development scheme” as the Trumbull-Bridgeport sewer linkup, and had a huge synergistic effect in regard to the exodus of the Bridgeport economy and our prosperous middle class …)
(This historic situation–to the present–probably does have high-level, serious corruption in play at all levels of government, otherwise it wouldn’t have been able to slip under the stink radar at the federal and state levels … Also; note that the proposer of this latest “sewer deal,” developer Robert Scinto, recently pleaded guilty to bribery-corruption charges and faces up to 5 years in prison …) No amount of bribe money from the suburbs for our sewer capacity will ever be able to even make a dent in the losses we will suffer from the tax-base theft and development-diversion (around Bridgeport!) that will result from such an ill-conceived (undoubtedly corrupt!) deal. Beyond competitive losses, Bridgeport might not be able to accommodate lucrative development opportunities due to sewage-capacity shortfalls related to additional capacity accorded to Trumbull and/or Monroe. Bridgeport must not allow its “leaders” to make any new deals with Trumbull and/or Monroe according greater access to its sewage-system capacity! We must remember history’s lessons. Our response to overtures from the suburbs for such “regional cooperation” must be “Never again!”
The proposed Trumbull/Monroe sewer deal certainly merits an FBI investigation … All Bridgeport elected officials promoting or supporting this deal need to be voted out of office …
Truly, it is time for Bridgeport to reclaim its supportive sanitary infrastructure for its own economic development. It is really quite irrational to give the suburbs an advantage over Bridgeport in the competition for tax base by providing subsidized, unobtrusive infrastructure to complement the obvious aesthetic/environmental advantages inherent in the suburban venue … Trumbull should be given notice by Bridgeport during the current sewer-contract renewal negotiations that they have five years to prepare to be disconnected from Bridgeport’s sewage system …
Hey Jeff, did I read that you are a candidate for Mayor?
The writing is on the wall and people are starting to bail. First Feeney and now Alanna Kabel. Heard from a friend at the Annex that she resigned today. Can’t say she’ll be missed.
To Jeff Kohut very enlightening post you have said it better than anyone before. To the Fixer from your lips to GOD’S ears I thought I saw someone riding a broom out of Bridgeport let the beginning of the end of this administration begin, yes there is a GOD.
Jeff is right. Some of the younger posters or those new to Bpt don’t know a lot of this history. It is important. You either learn from your mistakes or you repeat them. Jeff should run for City Council, he’d be an asset.
*** Action speaks louder than words, no? Maybe an “active” OIB committee is needed to plan a local voter-awareness drive on city truth or consequences! Not pushing a particular candidate mind you but just getting out the important Q & A’s. It takes a little work but the more help the merrier toward the projected goal, no? OIB in Action *** HERE WE GO! ***