Town faces major challenges in 2012

WINSTED — The Town of Winchester will have a number of challenges to face in the 2012 calendar year, not the least of which will be cutting $1.3 million out of the municipal budget to fund the state-mandated minimum budget requirement for the school system, according to Town Manager Dale Martin, who spoke in an interview Monday.Martin said finding $1.3 million to cut out of a $10 million municipal budget will be an extremely difficult task, but he said he can do it. The problem after that will be getting the Winchester Board of Selectmen to sign off on what will amount to a drastic round of cuts — or wait for the board to find some other way to raise the revenue.“At this point, no one has talked about a supplemental tax bill,” Martin said. “What Mr. [Finance Director Henry] Centrella and I have talked about is his how we can come up with the $1.3 million. If that means cutting programs and services, then we will say, ‘How does that make you feel as the Board of Selectmen?’ ”Cutting 13 percent of a $10 million budget will almost assuredly require layoffs and/or furloughs, and widespread cuts to services that are familiar to town residents. At the same time, one of the current Board of Selectmen’s main priorities is economic development and rebuilding community. Figuring out how to balance those objectives may be Martin’s first high-wire act.“By the end of January I’ve got to find $1.3 million in budget, develop a strategic plan, update our emergency operations manual and work on two Board of Selectmen’s agendas, plus other meetings I have to attend,” he said. “It’s wonderfully overwhelming.”Martin noted that a newly organized study group has been organized to develop the town’s strategic plan. The group includes the town manager and finance director, along with Selectmen Candy Perez and Glenn Albanesius.“We’re gathering information and data. I want to go back 10 years and plot line by line the expenditures that the town has made and compare it to other towns that have been successful,” Martin said. “Pick a town that has been successful and see how our expenditures compare to theirs. Do you want to have a budget that is more like Avon’s or more like Winsted’s?”But before the town attempts to reach such lofty goals as competing with Avon or Simsbury, some of the basic problems will have to be addressed. “We need to engage the public more and rebuild confidence in Town Hall,” Martin said. “I think there is a lack of professional governance. It’s not that I think people are purposely avoiding it — maybe people just haven’t been trained. We’ve gotten so used to partisan bickering and turnover of the town manager that it’s hard to steer the ship in one direction.”The lack of cohesion results in real problems, such as decaying schools and crumbling roads, that have not been adequately addressed for more than a decade.“There has been little, if any, planning with the roads,” Martin said. “People say, ‘my roads are the worst in town,’ but I ask them who’s been approving the budget. Look in the mirror. I don’t like sending my tax dollars to Washington or to Hartford where they just seem to get swallowed up, but this is your town. These are your roads. These are your parks. You need to invest in them.”Martin said he believes there are people, including significant developers, who want to invest in Winsted, but they are waiting for the town to become more stable.“I look forward to working with the Board of Selectmen in cultivating that stable environment to encourage people to invest in the town, buy buildings and open new businesses,” he said. “Almost every person I’ve met is individually enthusiastic about the town. We’re all here because we want a better Winchester.”One of the initiatives Martin has launched this year has been a local manufacturer’s roundtable, which has seen light attendance in its first two meetings, but has already seen some ideas emerge.“Attendance has more than doubled, from two to five,” the town manager joked. “People are saying we need skilled labor, and with the college focused on its own program, I said, ‘fine, let’s start a program on our own.’ We could develop a small curriculum and work with the state. We could get four or five local manufacturers together and start our own core curriculum at an underused building. Start a class, keep it small, invite applicants and find people interested in helping us out.”Martin said classes could range from specific job training to basic life skills for people who have not yet entered the workforce.As Winchester works its way through its financial difficulties, Martin said he will continue to focus on opportunities for economic development and encourage people to invest in the town.“I think more and more of the town manager job is public relations,” he said. “I know guys who could run me ragged on the intricacies of budgets. That’s what you have smart staff for. A lot of this job is engaging the public and the Chamber of Commerce. I need to get people to work together.“I’m sold on this town,” Martin added. “I want to be here a very long time. I think the area is beautiful. We have great people, two rivers that run through town, a large lake with recreational opportunities, all within a short driving distance. I think there are a lot of people who want to step forward, but they’re looking around, waiting to see who takes the first step. I think a lot of it involves turning around the community spirit.”