No images? Click here MONTHLY NEWSLETTER Wednesday, May 5, 2021: Edition #3 Mark Merritt Dear , West Hartford in May, it means a lot going on in Town (Yes, it’s May already)! Spring sports are in full force, Sr. Proms and Graduation event planning as well as the Town Budget. A key pillar of our vision for West Hartford is Fiscal Responsibility. The American Rescue Plan has provided our town financial relief to the tune of $35M ($25M town and $10M Education). We need to hold the majority party and Town Manager accountable to utilizing these funds so there is NO TAX INCREASE to taxpayers. In addition to Fiscal Responsibility, Economic Development is a key cornerstone for our future. There needs to be more resources allocated to help look at strategic consolidation of town buildings and revitalize old projects that need dusting off. Finally, Springtime means construction projects, I hope this means fixing our roads. In this month's issue, we have several items to bring to your attention. • The Town Council voted to delay the approval of the budget. • Read about the new Education Equity Policy for the West Hartford Public Schools. • See the latest information concerning the sale of the UCONN property as well as the purchase of the Saint Brigid Campus by the Town. • And of course, we have updates by our Town Council, Board of Education, Registrar of Voters and State Central Representatives. We already have a few candidates lined up for municipal elections. However, we would love to have even more Republicans step up to run for office. Are you searching for purpose? Do you have great ideas for our town? Are you passionate about improving the quality of life for our town? Then you should definitely consider running for Town Council or Board of Education in our town. See below for instructions on how to become a candidate. Review our official RTC vision for West Hartford and stay tuned to hear about how we work together to implement this vision. As always, we can’t do this without your support of time or financial donations. This allows us to reach more members of our community and share our vision. Of course, if you have any questions, feedback or if you need additional information, please feel free to contact me at chair@whgop.org. Take care, Mark Merritt
We Need Your Donation Now!Our municipal and state elections are coming up very soon. We need your donations to help get our candidates elected and implement our platform to enhance the resident experience in town. Please help by donating to the West Hartford Republican Town Committee. Any donation amount is helpful. Your Contribution Can Make A DifferenceWest Hartford RTC To Implement PlatformIn the March Newsletter, we announced the West Hartford Republican Town Committee (RTC) platform. Since then, we have begun to implement the platform within the community. As the year progresses, the RTC will be working with our Republican elected officials to formulate resolutions that can move our platform forward for the benefit of the West Hartford resident experience. Our newsletter will keep you informed of each step. During the year, we will need to rely on you to help move this platform forward by making phone calls, sending emails and contacting your local Town Council and Board of Education Representatives. For a copy of our RTC Platform click on the button below. The West Hartford Republican Town Committee Seeks Candidates to Run for Town, State OfficeHave you considered running for the West Hartford Town Council, the West Hartford Board of Education or the Connecticut State Legislature? Do you think you can help make changes with Republican values that are right for our town? The West Hartford Republican Town Committee is now accepting requests of interests from those who may be interested in running for municipal or state elected office for this November's election. Let us help you create a winning campaign this year! If you're interested in being considered by the Town Committee, please click on the button below and send an email to our Chairman, Mark Merritt, to receive an application so you may be considered. West Hartford Town Budget Vote DelayedWith West Hartford receiving more than $35 million from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, the Town Council adopted a resolution on April 15, to delay a vote on the proposed budget from Town Manager Matt Hart so they may better understand how the funds may be used. The resolution gives the Town Council until June 30, to approve and adopt the town budget in accordance with Governor LaMont's Executive Order 10E. The U.S. Department of the Treasury is expected to issue more detailed guidelines on the use of the funds by May 10. According to an April 15, article in We-Ha.com, Matt Hart is quoted as saying the Town Council plans to vote on approving the budget in the last week of May. However, very little is still known about how the $35 million will be used for the town. The West Hartford Republican Town Committee would like to see the funds used to reduce the budget increase and help ease the increased tax burden proposed by the Town Manager. Click on the button below to see the American Rescue Plan Act as well as the We-Ha.com article for more information about the budget vote delay.
New Education Equity Policy Coming for WHPSOn Tuesday, May 4, the West Hartford Board of Education will hear the first reading of a proposed Education Equity Policy for West Hartford Public Schools (WHPS). The intention of the policy is to guide the actions and practices of WHPS to uphold the district's mission and vision for equity and anti-racism, according to a recent press release. The public is invited for comment at the May 4, meeting and a final vote on the policy is expected to take place on June 1. Click on the button below to see a We-Ha.com article on the subject. UCONN Property - Buyer and Intentions Unknown?According to a March 31, regulatory filing, it was learned that Ideanomics agreed to sell the former UCONN regional West Hartford Campus property for $2.75 million. The selling price was almost half of what the company paid for the property back in 2018. It was also less than the $3 million paid for the much smaller, Saint Brigid Campus property. According to a Hartford Courant article from April 10, town official sources have said they expect multi-family units to be constructed on the property. However, the buyer has yet to be identified. In addition, the property is only zoned for educational/religious purposes or single family housing so, alternative use of the property would require a zoning change or special permit. Click on the button below to see the full Hartford Courant article about the sale of the property. West Hartford to Purchase St. Brigid School CampusOn Tuesday, March 23, the Town Council voted to authorize Town Manager, Matt Hart, to negotiate a tentative agreement for the purchase of the 8.5-acre Saint Brigid Campus for $3 million from the Saint Gianna Parish. Once finalized, the town will begin to explore plans for the facility. Click the button below to read the Patch.Com article about the purchase of the property.
Town Council ReportThe Town Council remains in the midst of budget season. To that end, the Town budget has been historically voted upon and adopted in the month of April. That said, given the influx of funds West Hartford is expected to receive pursuant to the American Rescue Plan Act, the Town Council has pushed back the budget adoption vote to late May 2021. A Town Council Meeting has been scheduled for May 17, at 6:30 pm during which the Town Manager will present options for incorporating American Rescue Plan Act funds into the proposed budget. The Public Safety Committee will be meeting on May 5, at 6:30 pm. It is anticipated that the initiative to reduce and/or eliminate panhandling in Town will be addressed during the meeting. The training program for members of the newly formed Civilian Police Review Board will likewise be addressed along with staff reports from both the Fire and Police Department.
Board of Education ReportThe U.S. News and World Report “Best High Schools” edition once again recognized Conard and Hall High Schools for their excellence. Conard ranked first in Hartford County, eighth in Connecticut, and 518th nationally. Hall is second in Hartford County, tenth in Connecticut, and 561st in the nation. This is outstanding news for West Hartford, validating all the hard work being done by the teachers, administrators, and students. A point to note is that the average per pupil expenditure for the towns on the list is $20,168, while West Hartford only spent $17,245 per student. On April 6, the West Hartford Board of Education passed the budget for 2021-2022 year, representing an increase of 1.85%. The original amount proposed by Superintendent Moore would have increased spending 2.28%, however, at the April meeting, cuts were adopted that resulted in a lower increase. The budget is now in the hands of the Town Council and will be voted on no later than June 30. On Tuesday, May 4th the West Hartford Board of Education will hear the first reading of the Education Equity Policy for West Hartford Public Schools (WHPS). This policy reinforces the mission of WHPS which is “To inspire and prepare all students to realize their potential and enhance our global community.” The policy also recognizes that every student has the right to access the exceptional education provided in West Harford without barriers. Registrar of Voters ReportAs society becomes more and more reliant on technology, the need to protect state and local election systems from cyberattacks has increased tenfold. Cybercriminals are becoming more sophisticated, changing what they target, how they affect organizations, and their methods of attack. The West Hartford Registrars of Voters (ROV) are dedicated to protecting the integrity of our election system and are working every day to improve cybersecurity. To this effect, the ROVs attend monthly online cybersecurity classes as part of our state mandated certification requirements through Security Monitor. To date, we have successfully completed seven online classes. We utilize a two-factor authentication to access Connecticut’s centralized voter registration, a system that in 2016 was subject to Russian scanning operations. The Office of the Secretary of the State provides ongoing training classes and has made cybersecurity part of the certification process for all new registrars of voters. We are in regular contact with the West Hartford IT department to keep a focus on cybersecurity and we will continue to implement measures to ensure secure and fair elections. If you have any questions about cybersecurity in the ROV office, feel free to reach out to me at Beth.kyle@westhartfordct.gov
State Central Report It has been an honor to represent District 5 Republicans on the CTGOP State Central Committee this past year. I will be running for my first full term this May. I want to thank everyone for this opportunity. State Central is organizing educational meetings for future candidates to better understand what is available for each candidate to run a successful campaign. The Bye-Law committee did recommend some changes to the CTGOP Bye-Laws; more to follow. CT169 Strong has been holding rallies around the state regarding the state taking more power from municipalities in deciding Zoning Laws. How Do I Get Involved?Would you like an opportunity to really contribute to the town? We have a few spots still available for membership on the West Hartford Republican Town Committee. Please click on the button below to see how to join our committee. If you're interested in attending one of our Town Committee meetings, please email our Town Committee Chairman, Mark Merritt at chair@whgop.org and he will provide you with the details. How Can I Get Even More Information?Click on the buttons below to visit our West Hartford Republican Town Committee Website or you can click on the button to learn about our volunteer opportunities or donate to the West Hartford RTC. |