The Poop Saga Continues, Plus: The Mayor And Max, And Pension News

5 p.m. UPDATE: This is some good shit, and getting better every day.

Shelton-based developer Bob Scinto wants to know how much Trumbull will charge Monroe for allowing a sewer hook up for his proposed relocation of the Jewish Home for the Elderly from Fairfield to property he owns in Monroe that will eventually end up at Bridgeport’s mothership sewage treatment plant.

Talk about 40 acres and a mule. Who’d ever think municipalities would be slaves to sludge. You want a regional issue? This one is jam-packed with all kinds of poop.

Quick background: Monroe has no sewers, Trumbull has sewers but no treatment plant, the state’s largest city turns Trumbull’s poop into treated wastewater. Bridgeport and Monroe officials are talking about creating a regional wastewater authority to accommodate Monroe’s development needs while transferring debt service from the city to basically a mini municipality, helping the city’s fund balance.

Trumbull, in the middle of all of this, isn’t sure it wants to play. Why? It’s wastewater and storm water systems are separated (much of Bridgeport isn’t) so it’s concerned it could end up subsidizing the city’s upgrading. Out of breath? Me too.

Okay, I’ve talked to architects, I’ve talked engineers, I’ve talked to Bridgeport officials. They just don’t know how Trumbull could secure a DEP discharge permit to build its own sewage treatment plant, something First Selectman Ray Baldwin says the town is considering.

Where would the treated water go? The Pequonnock River that runs downstream through Bridgeport. Why would the state issue a permit for a new inland treatment plant when Trumbull is already hooked into the city?

Landlocked suburban treatment plants combine a hornet’s nest of environmental issues. Trumbull is landlocked.

So Trumbull is sort of the turd between the cheeks in this deal. (Alright, you could do without that image.) The question is how it squeezes out the best deal?

These are not the best of times for Trumbull First Selectman Ray Baldwin who’s facing his toughest challenge to date from GOP candidate Tim Herbst.

Tax increases, costs associated with proposed renovations to Trumbull High and expensive sewer assessments have the Trumbull electorate in a scratchy mood. Throw in the perceived additional debt a stand-alone treatment plant would bring the town–whether Baldwin is serious or not–and now it’s pass-me-the-Tylenol time.

Bridgeport officials want this regional authority to happen to help future budgets, Monroe officials want it to happen to open up development. Trumbull is stuck in the middle. And maybe, if Scinto loses his patience with all this regional bureaucracy he says, hey, Trumbull I’ll build a new Jewish home in your town.

Either way, Bridgeport and Trumbull are still stuck together. That’s the price you pay for shared commodes.

BOE Dough

Five weeks left until the end of the current budget year and Mayor Bill Finch and Board of Education President Max Medina are still going tit for tat over Finch’s demand for BOE help to close a budget deficit.

The mayor asked the BOE for $7 million to close what was a projected $20 million deficit. The mayor through union concessions closed much of the gap, but with just weeks left until the end of the budget year looks like the city will come up short.

Max says Finch wants too much, and as a result the BOE’s not giving Finch remotely close to what he requested despite running a $5 million surplus. A portion of the surplus will be spent on supplies.

Part of what’s at play here is history. The mayor and Max have never been buds and never will be as Max finishes out a long career of service on the BOE. The mayor and Max were at best lukewarm even before Max decided to support Chris Caruso for mayor in 2007.

The makeup of the board will change in November with Max’s departure. No final word yet on his Democratic replacement. Republican Rob Russo has announced he will run for a BOE seat. He will get on as a result of minority party representation.

See full text of mayor’s letter to BOE below:

Dear Board President Medina and fellow Board Members:

As you know 9 months ago, I asked you and the Board of Education to work together to identify and achieve $7 million to help the City of Bridgeport close a $20 million budget deficit.

While I continue to appreciate the initial efforts the Board of Education has made to help the City of Bridgeport avoid state takeover and balance the Fiscal Year 2009 budget by return these funds to the City, I remain deeply concerned that the current amount of money you are recommending (the most recent amount you had mentioned is $2.2 million) for transfer to the City is woefully inadequate and violates our good faith negotiations with the Board of Education administration and Board of Education union members.

I did evaluate this offer with the city’s financial experts and found that there is no possible way for us to close the City’s budget deficit – as stated 9 months ago, without a full transfer of savings achieved. I also find it incredibly unfair to the hardworking taxpayers of our city and the union members and city employees who sacrificed to make these savings possible.

As you know, the City of Bridgeport through collective bargaining efforts with Board of Education employee unions has achieved millions in savings for the current fiscal year. We were able to achieve these savings by negotiating zero-percent pay increases and 5 to 10-day furloughs in the current year with the Supervisors Union (BCSA), LIUNA, the building trades and AFSCME Council 1522.

In addition, my administration has been working hand-in-hand with the Board of Education administration to research and implement other cost-saving initiatives such as transportation savings through increased utilization of public transportation and early retirement incentives.

The Board of Education administration has also demonstrated to my administration that there are additional cost-savings to be had through position freezes, etc. The sum total of all of these cost-savings initiatives $4.5 million (as projected by the Board of Education administration on March 5, 2009), confirmed publicly by Superintendent Ramos on March 28 in a budget hearing with the Bridgeport City Council and to the Board of Education on March 29 and as reported by the Connecticut Post on many occasions – is over half of my initial request of the Board of Education.

These savings have been negotiated in good faith with our labor unions and the Board of Education President and administration for the past 9 months. The understanding we reached was that savings realized through collective bargaining and other efforts would be lapsed to the city budget. The State Department of Education confirmed that they would allow such a lapse to help the City of Bridgeport address the current year budget deficit which totaled initially $20 million.

We have achieved much by working together to identify and implement cost-savings – I thank everyone involved in this effort including Superintendent Ramos, BOE President Max Medina and organized labor leaders.

The major increases in school funds just enacted by the federal government, totaling $17 million, should significantly aid the Board of Education in future years and should help ease the concerns of the Board of Education members in honoring their good faith negotiations by passing through the sum total of the cost-savings produced through collaborative efforts.

It is imperative to the financial survival of our city that you as board members approve the total amount saved to date – nearly $4.5 million and continue to identify ways to deliver on our joint goal to identify $7 million in savings in the current year budget.

As we near the close of the fiscal year, it is now time for the Board of Education to act to send the total amount of money identified by the BOE administration – nearly $4.5 million – back to the City of Bridgeport to fill our now drastically reduced (from $20 million to $5 million) $5 million budget gap. This act is consistent with our good faith negotiations with the Board of Education President and administration and necessary for the City of Bridgeport to successfully close the current year budget deficit.

As I have stated before, to deny sending this money back to the City of Bridgeport, as negotiated in good faith, is to unnecessarily burden the already financially challenged taxpayers of our city.

News release from Mayor Finch

Dunbar School Gets New Playground

Only Playground in Bridgeport ‘s East End

BRIDGEPORT, CT (May 21, 2009) – Mayor Bill Finch, accompanied by education leaders and private benefactors, today cut the ribbon for the new playground at the Dunbar School, the only playground in Bridgeport’s East End.

“We’re thrilled that the children of the East End now have a place to play and really be children,” said Mayor Finch. “It’s something that will provide joy for many, many years.”

Joined by Dr. John Ramos, superintendent of schools; Charmaine Worthy, principal of Dunbar School at 445 Union Ave.; Jennifer Toli of Weston, who lead the fundraising effort for the project; Richard Bieder of the Bridgeport law firm of Koskoff Koskoff & Bieder, which organized a penny drive to help fund the construction of the playground with the East End Neighborhood Revitalization Zone (NRZ), Mayor Finch officially opened the playground.

The playground, consisting of special tubes for children to climb through, modular decks for them to walk on, climbers, an overhead challenge, ramps and bridges, was built entirely through private donations, including thousands of pennies collected by the students of Dunbar School.

News release from State Senators Gomes and Musto

SENS. GOMES, MUSTO: LEGISLATION WILL SAVE JOBS, PRESERVE VITAL SERVICES IN BRIDGEPORT

Senate approves legislation, moves bill to House of Representatives for action

Hartford – State Senators Edwin Gomes (D-Bridgeport) and Anthony Musto (D-Trumbull) today worked to move legislation through the state Senate that will help preserve jobs and vital services in Bridgeport during exceedingly difficult times for Connecticut’s most populous city.

The legislation exempts Bridgeport from having to make a contribution to its bond-funded pension plan from Fiscal Year 2009 through Fiscal Year 2011. The move would save Bridgeport approximately $25 million at a time when the city is looking at a projected $20 million municipal budget deficit in this fiscal year alone.

“Bridgeport is in trouble,” said Senator Gomes. “The people of Bridgeport have already seen their city services cut, and there’s only more to come. This bill will help keep $25 million in the city budget at a time when it’s very much in need. It will keep people employed without affecting the pensions of those police officers and firefighters who are a part of the pension plan.”

“This legislation will ultimately help to keep Bridgeport solvent in an economic climate that has hit the city harder than arguably any other municipality in Connecticut,” Senator Musto said. “This isn’t a blank check, however; the city will have to meet specific obligations as part of this moratorium. But it’s my hope that this will help to prevent further layoffs and greater unemployment in very tough times.”

Bridgeport will also be required to provide the Office of Policy & Management and the state treasurer with a plan for funding its Fiscal Year 2009 pension plan. By August 1, 2010, and August 1, 2011, the city must provide plans for meeting its pension obligations for those respective years.

Finally, the bill requires Bridgeport to make a minimum $4 million contribution to its pension plan in each fiscal year if officials fail to approve the funding plan.

Ten years ago, Bridgeport bonded $350 million for the pension plan of the city’s firefighters and police officers who opted to join a specific plan by 1980. Today the fund is worth $161 million and would be required to cover 1,000 individuals.

The bill-Senate Bill 375, An Act Concerning Municipal Payments to Pension Plans-was approved in a bipartisan 29-to-6 vote in the Senate and now moves to the state House of Representatives for consideration. The 2009 regular legislative session adjourns on June 3.